'Pillar of the community': Former Latrobe mayor, district justice Angelo Caruso dies

Angelo Caruso loved Latrobe, loved what it stood for and loved doing things to make the community better, his son Lee Caruso said.

That love manifested itself in decades of service.

“He was always involved in this community no matter what,” said Lee Caruso, of Latrobe. “He worked with everybody. He turned acquaintances into friends.”

Angelo Caruso died Monday, June 13, 2022. He was 90.

An extensive resume reflects his impact in the city. He became Latrobe’s mayor in 1978 and held that position until he was appointed as district justice in 1991. Starting in 1954, he served as a lifetime member of Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department. He also sat on the Greater Latrobe School Board from 1975 to 1978 and started a weekly Latrobe newspaper called The New Edition in the 1970s.

Echoes of his impact are evident today. Caruso co-founded the Greater Latrobe Fourth of July Celebration, which began as a block party in front of his home in the 1960s. He also advocated for the creation of the bike path that winds through the city.

Lee Caruso said his father was a busy man. However, that busyness didn’t matter to Lee, who enjoyed tagging along with his father as he served the community.

“He was a great father,” Lee Caruso said. “I was very proud to have him as a father.”

Latrobe fire Chief John Brasile described Caruso as the “nicest, easiest going guy you’ve ever met.”

Brasile said the longtime mayor wanted to change Latrobe for the better. He worked to keep business in town and ensure Latrobe remained a “mainstay” for the area.

“It was always community first with that man,” Brasile said. “He made sure it was the people first. He’ll be missed.”

Former Latrobe police Chief Jim Bumar agreed. Bumar recalled that Caruso was a “pro-police” mayor and “compassionate and fair” justice.

“He was what Latrobe’s about,” Bumar said.

Both Brasile and Bumar said Caruso was a “pillar of the community.”

“You can talk about Arnold Palmer … Mister Rogers … but Ang and his family, they were pillars,” Brasile said. “He didn’t care about being in the limelight. He cared about the community. That’s how he lived his life.”

Caruso is survived by his wife, Emma Caruso; sons Angelo Caruso Jr. and Lee; and grandchildren Christian, Colton and Lee Caruso Jr. The family will hold a small funeral service for Caruso.