Ann Marie Caruso

Ann Marie Caruso January 1, 1922 - February 10, 2016 “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 After a long and full life Ann Marie Caruso is now safe in the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Ann died on Wednesday, February 10th 2016 in the comfort of her home from complications of cancer. She was 94. Ann Cooper was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1922, the oldest of three children. She dearly loved her sister Doris and brother, Ralph aka “Sonny,” and had many fond memories and funny stories of growing up with them in Portersville, Pennsylvania where her family operated a busy roadside restaurant and lodge called the Dixie Inn. Ann, however, has deep roots in St. Cloud, having lived here for more than 75 years! The family spent winters in St. Cloud and soon opened the Dixie Motel at the corner of Carolina Avenue and Highway 192 to entertain “winter visitors,” many of whom came and stayed for several months at a time. It has a new name, but the Dixie Motel is still there today! Ann graduated from St. Cloud High School in 1942 and met her first husband, W.M. Mikeal there. After a stint in the Navy during World War II, the couple settled in Pine Hills and had two children, Janice and Larry. Mr. Mikeal succumbed to cancer in 1958, leaving Ann a young widow. She became a hairdresser in order to support her young family and moved back “home” to St. Cloud, where her brother Sonny built the house on Carolina Avenue where she would spend the rest of her life. Ann became a member of First Baptist Church of St. Cloud on March 13th, 1959, when the church was still located on Massachusetts Avenue. She sang in the choir in the early 1960s and had many friends there, including an older lady named Frances Caruso. As it turned out, Frances had an unmarried son named Donald and the matchmaking began, even though Don was, at 28, thirteen years Ann’s junior, a popular minor-league athlete and one of St. Cloud’s most eligible bachelors! According to Ann, she won his heart with her fried chicken, which wouldn’t surprise you if you’d tasted it! They were married in 1963 and just 2 years later, she and Don had a son named Brett. Of course, in 1965, a 43 year old expectant mother was quite the talk . . . particularly in the little town of St. Cloud. She often joked that she joined the AARP and the PTA at the same time! Her older children Janice and Larry grew up in St. Cloud with Janice pursuing medical training and marrying literally “the boy next door,” Paul McKenna, then giving Ann her first two precious grandchildren: Marshall and Mikeal. Larry became a pro golfer and moved to Massachusetts to manage a golf course where he met his wife Tina and soon added another cherished grandson, Sean, to the family. Brett grew up, married, built a home just a few blocks away in St. Cloud and gave Ann one of the treasures of her life: her only grand-daughter, Kaylyn. “Grammy” and Kaylyn are connected at the heart and shared so many fun memories, but cooking and baking together was the centerpiece. Ann and Don were married for 33 years before Don, too, died of cancer in 1996. Just 7 years before, she had lost her son Larry to leukemia. “Perseverance and joy in spite of hardship” - that is the hallmark of Ann Caruso. Despite the crushing losses of two husbands and a son, Ann loved life, friends and family. “The joy of the Lord was her strength.” Everywhere she went she was the life of the party, always ready with a funny comment or story and her calendar was full of luncheons, reunions and get-togethers with friends. She prized more than anything her many friends and extended family both here in St. Cloud and scattered across the country. The telephone at her house has a lot of miles on it! Remarkably, up until the end of October 2015, she was still driving her little white Malibu around town to get her hair and nails done, to go to church or to meet up with friends for lunch. She always loved to dance (the jitterbug was her favorite) and served as a volunteer at both the hospital and the food pantry over the years. Of course, her primary passion was cooking and baking and she sometimes answered her phone saying: “Ann’s Bake Shop.” She spent many hours in the kitchen at the church and so many have enjoyed her great recipes from Meatloaf to Chicken Crescent Rolls to Mac-n-Cheese to the famous Coconut Pound Cake! Ann is preceded in death by her first husband W.M. Mikeal, her son Larry Mikeal, her second husband Don Caruso, her younger siblings Doris (Cooper) McClymonds and Ralph “Sonny” Cooper and many dear friends and extended family members who she missed so much. Ann is survived by her daughter Janice (Mikeal) McKenna and her husband Paul as well as their sons Marshall, with his wife Sonya and children Isaiah, Maria, Olivia, Rowan and stepdaughter Haley; and Mikeal, with his wife Denise. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Tina (LeClaire) Mikeal and grandson Sean. Finally, she leaves behind her son Brett Caruso, his wife Laura, and grand-daughter, Kaylyn along with six beloved nephews, cherished cousins and other extended family and friends. Her family, while heartbroken, rejoices greatly in her home-going, knowing that she is in the firm embrace of her Creator and the Lover of her Soul. The family will receive friends at a memorial service on Friday, February 19th at First Baptist Church of St. Cloud at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann’s memory to the St Cloud Community Pantry and mailed to them at 901 Missouri Avenue St. Cloud, FL 34769 or Hospice of the Comforter at hospiceofthecomforter.org or by mail at 480 W Central Parkway Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 “…and He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”