Gerald J. Caruso, 73, of Milford, MA, formerly of Hopkinton, MA, passed away on October 5, 2023 at the Elizabeth Seton Residence in Wellesley, MA. Gerald, known as "Jerry" to family and friends, was husband to his wife of 48 years Virginia Caruso, father to daughters Meredith and Courtney Caruso, father-in-law to Romeo Solviletti and Ted Matwijec, "Grampy" to Nellie Solviletti and Cora Caruso, brother to John Caruso, and Uncle Jerry to many beloved nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother James "Jimmy" Caruso, sister Claire Leaman, and parents James and Clara (Gustafson) Caruso.

Jerry was born in Boston, MA on March 7, 1950. Raised in Roxbury and later, Roslindale, he developed a taste for adventure, storytelling, and hard-work at a young age. Jerry began working at his family's Rosedale Grocery Store in Dorchester by packing, delivering, and driving (yes, without a license) groceries when he was barely a teen. He learned early which homes gave the best tips and made the best food (he would rave about his favorite handmade, Armenian grape leaves for the remainder of his life) and how to connect with people from all walks of life.

Growing up, Jerry attended a combination of Boston Public Schools and local Catholic schools, but graduated from Cathedral High School in 1967. After blowing out his knee during the first football scrimmage of the year, Jerry traded in his football and baseball gear for drama and arts. Jerry played the trombone as a member of the Sacred Heart Junior and Senior Catholic Youth Organization bands for nine years. And those who appreciate Jerry's singular ability to captivate a room—whether that be a courtroom or dining room—will not be surprised to learn that Jerry was a thespian who loved performing both in high school and later, as a member of Suffolk University's Children's Theater group.

A young high school grad still in need of refinement, Jerry enrolled at the Huntington School for Boys. For Jerry, his post-grad year opened doors to new networks and new beginnings. Jerry then enrolled at Suffolk University—prompted in part by the receipt of his draft card. Despite walking out of class on many occasions to participate in anti-war protests around the city, Jerry graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 1972.

In 1973, Jerry attended a Silva Mind Control weekend course at the Lenox Hotel (as an aside, we've only just learned that this was called "Silva" and not "Silver"—one of many misnomers born of Jerry's famously thick Boston accent). In a pairing that would change the course of his life, he partnered with a young Virginia "Ginny" Dowling to explore ways to alleviate stress, increase creativity, and develop concentration. While the two would later joke that they didn't quite find the secrets of the universe that weekend, their partnership happily marked the beginning of a 50-year love story.

Jerry's hustle was unmatched. He had so many jobs that it's hard to piece them all together. His life was punctuated by 4am starts and working into the night, he never seemed to tire of burning the candle at both ends. Painting bridges. Bartending on Cape Cod. Transporting the harp for a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Working security for a Mass. Ave. apartment complex. Conducting marine biology research on Santa Catalina Island. Teaching science in Boston Public Schools during the riots and violence of Boston's busing crisis. Shelving books in the Attorney General's Office. Jerry had the drive to provide, and a knack for seeking out new experiences and human connections.

When Jerry decided to pursue a legal career, he no doubt did so in part because his older brother Jimmy—wholly dedicated to Attorney General Francis Bellotti—had promised to open doors into the profession. After graduating from Suffolk Law School in 1976, Jerry took a position as an Assistant Attorney General in the Government Bureau. Jerry worked with great diligence, and his "first in, last out" mentality quickly garnered respect and admiration. As a litigator, Jerry was at home in the courtroom. Just six years into his career, he found himself standing before nine justices of the Supreme Court arguing Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc., a case regularly taught in constitutional law classes today. Jerry always said he knew he was unlikely to win, but he reveled in having successfully driven it all the way up to the Supreme Court and arguing on behalf of the Commonwealth. His ability to make everyone laugh, even at the Supreme Court, became family lore. And so when Justice Thurgood Marshall asked about the fact that New Orleans serves alcohol "24 hours a day, every day including Sunday," Jerry didn't miss a beat in responding: "Your Honor, I've never been to New Orleans, so I defer to your knowledge on that," eliciting laughter from all. Jerry left the Attorney General's Office with AG Bellotti's blessing and with government bureau colleagues who would be among his closest confidants and supporters for the next 40 years, and who continued to show up for him as his time here withered from years, to months, to days.

Over the next decades, Jerry would join his own firm, Ferriter, Scobbo, Sikora, Singal, Caruso & Rodophele, P.C., move to Rubin and Rudman LLP, and hold the title of VP and Director of Business Development for Affiliated Monitors, Inc. In private practice, Jerry built a niche specialization in and around the business of "booze" (as he called it). Clients from Gallo Winery to Bacardi and Co. and Seagram Distillers Co. turned to Jerry to navigate MA liquor licensing, shipping laws, and alcohol-related litigation disputes. Although an expert in this field, Jerry maintained a diversified legal practice as a general commercial litigator. He was always passionate about his cases and clients. One of the Caruso family's favorites was of the Boston Opera House, where Jerry ensured it saw renovation, rather than conversion into apartments. After all, he loved music and theater, and never missed an opportunity to bring his family to a show.

While no one can deny Jerry's love of work, his dedication to his family somehow surpassed it all. We could never understand where he found the hours in the day, but he never missed a game or a performance, even when that meant driving to Maine for a basketball tournament or attending more than a hundred performances of The Nutcracker. From ballet dad to softball coach, his dedication to his girls was beyond compare. Jerry also cherished his most special bond with and love of his nephews Thomas and Daniel Mitchell and niece Sheilah Boothby.

Jerry's humor and wit captivated us. He effortlessly exhibited a love of laughter. His jokes had a way of making you feel warm and loved. Generosity of spirit was a defining trait. You could always count on him to take your phone call, meet you for lunch, or help you find a new job. One can only guess the number of you out there whose connections to people and places first originated with Jerry.

Jerry was an adventurer. He proudly took his family on expeditions around the world to experience the beauty of life and the joys of spontaneity. Stories of driving across the country with Jerry, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, losing his tooth at St. John's underwater trail at Trunk Bay (and the chaos that unraveled shortly thereafter), walking dangerously close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, wine tasting in Napa, acting as a juror in the recreation of Wild Bill Hickock's murder trial in Deadwood, having the nail of his big toe surgically removed by a military doctor onboard a diving vessel in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef with Courtney providing a shot of whiskey as anesthesia, accidentally ordering 4 kilos (nearly 9 pounds!) of salami from a Roman butcher instead of the requested "4 sandwiches" worth, ensuring the whole table tried escargot on the Champs Elysees, salsa dancing in Quito, Ecuador, attempting synchronized swimming with the Galapagos sea lions, winning a male beauty pageant in Mexico (after having entered at his daughters' request), splurging on a limo for the Rolling Stones concert, climbing the Dolomites in a rental car whose tire chains were the only thing keeping the car on the slick mountain roads—the Caruso travel stories are as unpredictable as they are hilarious. Many of these adventures were with one or both of his daughters, who he would often travel with. Ginny grew to prefer the predictability of a summer vacation on Nantucket which saw Jerry teaching his girls to fish and swim, and when they were little, pretending to be a monster who chased them into the depths of the ocean. His capacity for make believe and storytelling delighted his daughters endlessly as he entertained them with voices, characters, theatric performances.

Jerry loved reading and civic engagement. Voting in every election was a requirement. Up at his usual 4am, he would have newspapers from around the world read and cut up into articles by the time his family began to stir. We would awake to neatly organized piles of articles labeled for Ginny, Meredith, and Courtney to read. These curated topics that each of us would find most interesting would always be discussed later in the day, usually in the car driving to school, sports, or dance. He loved music and sports. He loved a night out in Boston to see a musical or listen to music, introducing his daughters to artists from the 60s and 70s and even to artists like Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse before either girl had ever heard of them. A season ticket holder to his beloved Red Sox, Jerry's love of the sox began with collecting foul balls at Fenway as a kid. Decades later, he could often be seen walking to and from the financial district, down Commonwealth Ave., in order to catch a game. Even when time was tight, he'd pick up one of his daughters so that they could enjoy a few innings, peanuts, and sausage, peppers, and onions, before leaving early to get back to work.

In his late fifties, as his brain and body began to betray him, Jerry maintained his humor and found joy with his family and friends. Jerry's neurodegenerative disease was a torturous death sentence, but even as it robbed him of his ability to walk, to use his arms and legs, and eventually to speak, he found ways to signal to us that the Jerry we knew and loved remained within. Even when he could only muster a few words at a time, he demonstrated mastery over a well-timed one-word joke. In the very last days of his life, he still found the strength to kiss his family on their heads each time they arrived and left his presence (as had always been family ritual), whispering, "I love you." His suffering was immense, but it was made easier by the dedication and uncompromising care provided by his wife Ginny for more than a decade, even at great personal sacrifice.

Jerry was someone who showed up for people. It was a great comfort to him that so many of his friends and family continued to show up for him in the final months, weeks, and days of his life. Your stories brought light and laughter into the darkness. Jerry left us at the exact moment that the day's last light disappeared on October 5th. He transitioned peacefully, listening to Steely Dan and in the comforting embrace of his wife, daughters, and nephew Dan. On October 10th, he was cremated at the Forest Hills cemetery. He had always hoped that his final journey would be in Boston, as one would expect from a man who had driven every Boston street over his 73 years in the city he loved.

May we all continue to share the stories of Jerry that make us laugh, and even cry, so that he may continue to live on through our love and memories. A celebration of Jerry's life will be held on March 16, 2024 at 3:30PM at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard St, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please RSVP here: bit.ly/rememberjerry

The Caruso family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the Elizabeth Seton Residence and Care Dimensions whose nurses, hospice team, and staff demonstrated the care, kindness, and dignity in death that Jerry deserved.

Donations in Jerry's honor may be made to Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre. As former chair of their Board of Directors, Jerry shared in the belief that ballet should be accessible to participants of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and that dance is a joyful means of educating, connecting, and enriching our communities: https://www.ballettheatre.org/donate/.