Obituary of Carmelo Ragusa

 Carmelo Ragusa was born on February 24Th 1935 to Italian immigrant parents Antoino and Calogera Ragusa. Carl as he was known by his friends and family  passed away on May 15,2024 at age 89. He leaves behind his beloved and dedicated  wife Maria of 62 years. His family was always his top priority and legacy. Carl grew up in Queens, New York and did not want his sons to have the same stigmatism that bothered him as a child. Naming his two sons Paul and Luke,was his way of giving them a fresh start  to achieve more than he did. Carl also leaves behind three grandchildren, Michelina, Antonio and Fancesca. His sons honored and embraced their family heritage by naming their children with traditional Italian names in the face of the stigmatic views that Carmelo encountered as a child. Carl was drafted  during college to serve in the US  Army from 1957-1963. Upon returning to civilian life, Carl was back on course at school and received his Masters in Engineering degree from NYU.  While finishing up his masters degree he met his wife Maria. A few years later he got his first big opportunity working for Grumman, allowing him to buy his first and only home in Great Neck. With the passing of his older sister Rose, he stayed true to his family values and took in his two nieces Linda and Nina. Carl then raised his own family in the same house in Great Neck where lived out the remainder of his life. Carl had a passion for travel and saw the world with his new bride.  He sailed on the Queen Mary, visited Europe, Asia, Russia and countless other places. His summer vacations were always with his family. They consisted mainly of road trips covering as many states as he could in his limited time off from work. As a history buff, many of the trips revolved around historical sights from the revolutionary and civil war where he would take the time to pass on his vast knowledge to his kids whether they were interested or not. Carl had a voracious appetite for books and would chew through history books by the dozen. Carl loved music and the opera. When asked what music he liked he would talk about how great Elvis was but there was little to no evidence to support this claim. A rock record was never to be discovered in his collection. Instead his musical selection consisted of classical, opera, Frank Sinatra and yes Barbra Strisand. He always rooted for the New York Yankees and attended games with his sons.If you ask Paul and Luke it was not as often as they wanted. Instead  Carl took his family to museums, parks and the zoo to pass on his love of the arts, history and culture.