WILMINGTON — Carl Benedetto, of Wilmington, NC, 100, died Friday, September 29, 2023, at Novant Health Regional Medical Center.
Carl was born June 21, 1923, in Jamestown, New York, the son of the late Antonina and Salvatore Benedetto, who emigrated from Tortoricci, Sicily. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of sixty years, Mary Isabelle Knapp Benedetto, as well as his sisters, Mary Benedetto Fuerst and Marguerite Benedetto Fino, and brothers, Thomas Benedett and Nicholas Benedetto. The last of his siblings, youngest brother Salvatore Benedetto of Charlotte, NC, passed away on the same day as Carl.
Carl enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942 and served in the Pacific during World War II, participating in the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa and the occupation of Japan at the end of the war. After being discharged from the Marine Corps in 1946, he attended Fenn College in Cleveland, Ohio where he received a BBA. While going to school he worked as an intern with Eaton Corporation and after graduation from college remained with the company for 33 years. While with Eaton, he worked on a variety of assignments in the financial and operations areas, including a three-year stint in Torino, Italy as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of an Eaton Subsidiary. He and Mary loved their time in Italy and enjoyed traveling the European continent. He eventually retired as Assistant Controller for the corporation. He was a past member of the Financial Executives Institute.
Carl and Mary lovingly raised their three children in Cleveland and then moved to Wilmington in 1993, where, over the years, they enjoyed the beach, wonderful friends, and their three treasured grandchildren. Carl served as a volunteer at Good Shepherd Center, helping to prepare food for many years and was a member of St. Andrews On-the-Sound Episcopal Church. A person’s character was what mattered most to him. He and Mary taught their children by example to be kind, generous, and open-minded and to live a life of integrity.
An avid reader from an early age, he remained so all his life. He especially admired Henry James, Charles Dickens, and Anthony Trollope. His introduction to music as a small child was listening to his father’s Enrico Caruso operatic recordings on the Victrola. While his love of opera continued, he discovered other realms of classical music and became a devotee from then on of Symphonic and Chamber music. Longtime members of the Wilmington Symphony and Chamber Music Society, Carl and Mary enjoyed attending concerts and rarely missed the opportunity to do so up until the time of her passing in October 2015.
In recent years, Carl continued to enjoy classical music concerts, ballet, and opera online. His favorite ballet was Giselle. He also loved Brazilian music, having been introduced to it by friends during work trips to Sao Paolo during his Eaton years. He had a lifelong fascination with space and visited the NASA website daily. He loved cooking, feeding the birds (and squirrels), and growing his own herbs and vegetables. He went regularly to exercise at Oleander Rehab where he would work out and chat about the stock market and world affairs with dear friends. He read newspapers from all over the world every day on his tablet because he believed it was important to consider multiple perspectives. Carl loved his Wilmington home and was able to remain living in it through his final day with the love and care of his devoted family, as well as the companionship of his beloved Siamese cat, Mima, and great-granddog, Nala.
Surviving him are his children, Alicia Benedetto (Jeffrey Musick) of Columbia, SC; James (né Carlo) Christopher (Andrella) of Wilmington, NC; and Maria Benedetto O’Shea (Timothy) of Redwood City, CA; as well as grandchildren Francesca Benedetto of Wilmington, NC and Griffin Timothy O’Shea and Allison Maria O’Shea of Redwood City, CA.
The family would like to offer special thanks to Leo Warshauer, MD and Christopher Barber, MD, who provided Carl with excellent medical care for many years. Special gratitude also goes to family friend Lupe Rebollo for the care and support she provided.
Funeral services by Rev. Richard Elliott will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 20 at St. Andrew’s On-the-Sound Church. The family will receive guests after the service in the Parish Hall.
Memorial contributions, if friends desire, may be made to St. Andrews On-the-Sound Church, 101 Airlie Road, Wilmington, N.C. 28403 or Good Shepherd Center, 811 Martin Street, Wilmington, NC 28401.
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