JOSEPH MARIO CASSARINO

MONKTON — Joseph Mario Cassarino of Monkton, Vt., died peacefully at Green Mountain Rehabilitation and Nursing in Colchester on March 14, 2025.

Joe “Papa” was born in Middlebury on Jan. 24, 1935, to John and Caroline Cassarino. He graduated from Middlebury High School in 1952 and from photography school in Woodstock in 1959. After working briefly on the Rutland railroad, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served honorably for four years.

Joe met the love of his life, Janet, at a barn dance in Whiting, Vt., which he attended after he marched in the 4th of July parade as part of the Color Guard. This began their 65-year journey together.

Joe and Janet were married in 1960 and moved to Springfield, Mass., where he worked for several years at Loring Photography studio before moving back to Vermont. In Vermont he worked at Simmonds Precision, General Electric and IBM, where he retired after a long career in Failure Analysis. In addition to his career, Joe was a long-time member of the American Legion post 27 in Middlebury Vermont.

Joe’s passions were family, photography, music and golf. He could be found at almost every sports or musical event that his children or grandchildren participated in — always with a camera or a video recorder in hand. He has taken thousands of pictures and recorded countless hours of video, leaving a beautiful legacy for his family to enjoy.

Joe was predeceased by brothers, Paul (Madeline) and Alfred (Audrey); and sisters, Agatha Morrow (Frank) and Janet Handy (Bob).

Joe is survived by his wife, Janet (Gebo); his children and their spouses, Paul (Tracie Hier), Maria (Michael Dionne), and Michael (Jennifer Rhodes), as well as his grandchildren, Nicholas Cassarino (Erin Boyd), Joshua Cassarino (Crystal Rivera), Natalie Wimett (Cali Shamburg Wimett), Andrew Cassarino, and Alex Dionne Bahrenburg (Pete Bahrenburg), as well as many nieces and nephews.

In memory of Joe, please take a picture or video, hug the ones you love, and play a round of golf.

Visiting hours will be on Wednesday, May 21, at Brown/McClay Funeral Home in Bristol, Vt., from 5-7 p.m. The funeral will take place on Thursday, May 22, at St. Ambrose Catholic church in Bristol at 11 a.m. ◊