Mrs. Carol A. (Bergin) Caruso, 74, of Oxford, formerly of Waterbury, passed away at her home after a courageous battle with cancer on Thursday, November 8, 2012. She was the wife of James Caruso, Sr.
Mrs. Caruso was born in Naugatuck on February 6, 1938, the daughter of the late Daniel and Mary (Butwill) Bergin. She was a longtime Waterbury resident before moving to Oxford three years ago. She graduated from Saint Mary’s School of Nursing and Central Connecticut State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree with honors. She retired after 30 years of service from Saint Mary’s Hospital Maternity Floor. She was a devout communicant of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Oxford. Her passions included knitting, crocheting, quilting, and flower gardening. She enjoyed spending time with her many friends. She loved and cherished her grandchildren, and played an important role in their lives. She was a member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Our Lady of Loreto Church, where she made a countless number of scarves for our troops overseas as well as prayer shawls for cancer patients. She was an avid member of the Red Hats. Along with her husband Jim, she loved spending time at the beach in Virginia.
Besides her husband of 52 years, she leaves her children, James Caruso, Jr. and his wife Wendy of Plainville, CT, Sharon Bette and her husband Isaac of Southbury, Gregory Caruso and his wife Valerie of Londonderry, NH, and Dr. John Caruso and his wife Kim of Hagerstown, MD; her twelve grandchildren, Pamela, David, Nicole, Sarah, Ian, Gemma, Olivia, Quentin, Casey, Tyler, Conner, and Charlotte; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Monsignor Robert D. Bergin, Apostolate for the Deaf.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, November 13 at 10am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 733 Oxford Road Oxford. Friends are asked to meet DIRECTLY at the church at 9:45am. Burial will follow in St. James Cemetery, Cross Street, Naugatuck. Calling hours will be held at the Naugatuck Valley Memorial/Fitzgerald Zembruski Funeral Home, 240 North Main Street, Naugatuck on Monday from 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06510. To send an on-line condolence, please visit www.naugatuckvalleymemorial.com
