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Carl Joseph Buscemi died peacefully at Alden Park Strathmoor Nursing Home on Saturday, May 30th after a series of illnesses.
Carl was married to his loving and dedicated wife Lynn (Hass) Buscemi for over 56 years. Carl and Lynn met in 1968 at a victory party for Democratic presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, and Carl and Lynn married shortly after in August of 1969. The core values that drew Carl to work on that campaign saw him through the rest of his life, and he was unafraid to call out injustice when he saw it.
Carl was at heart an educator, and he taught for over thirty years. Most of that time was spent as a psychology and U.S. history teacher first at Auburn and then at East High School. He introduced psychology as an elective to Auburn, and he was an inventive, sharp-witted, and well-loved teacher who could fill multiple sections of the course with interested students. Until his death, it was hard to go anywhere in Rockford without running into one of those students who always had fond memories to share.
Broad-shouldered and 6’ 4,” you might have expected Carl to gravitate towards playing football, but tennis was his sport of choice, and he further contributed to his school communities by coaching the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams for many years at both Auburn and East. Until mobility issues made it more difficult, Carl continued to enjoy both tennis and golf. Although he spent time on the tennis court and the green himself, he also loved to watch football and baseball, hardly ever missing a game featuring his beloved Bears and Cubs.
He delighted in traveling too, and he and Lynn filled their summer vacations with trips to locales ranging from Europe to Canada and across the United States. The biggest adventure he engineered was a 2-month family excursion that went from Scotland, to France, to Italy, to Germany, and finally to England. Along the way, Carl, Lynn, and the kids were joined by his brother Al and his family and their good family friend, Allen. Highlights of the trip included staying with relatives in Sicily and exploring East and West Germany shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He also had a deep appreciation for movies, news programs, and other visual media, both because he enjoyed watching them and because he would use them to illustrate points in his various courses. Back before everything could be instantly streamed, he had a “permanent” VHS collection in the basement of hundreds of must-see films and film clips. Up until his final months, you could still hear him asking his kids or grandkids, “Wait, you haven’t seen…?” and then explaining the multitude of reasons why they really needed to see whatever epic he was describing. Later in life, once he was not able to get around as well, he and Lynn especially enjoyed watching British mysteries together.
Food was another source of joy for Carl, and going out to dinner with him was always an event. First-timers’ eyes would widen as Carl detailed the host of items he was ordering for himself and for the whole table to try: an entree became an appetizer for everyone to sample, and ordering just one of some favorite fare was never an option. He inspired an enthusiastic appreciation of food in his children and grandchildren that will live on long after his passing.
Carl also intensely loved and valued his family. You couldn’t leave his house without a “love you” and an admonition to “be safe.” This love was returned by his family in many ways, including his son Aaron’s donation of a kidney when Carl’s diabetes had progressed to the point that he was on dialysis. Due to that successful transplant in 2016, Carl was able to fully enjoy life for 10 more years.
Honoring his wishes, Carl will be cremated and no funeral will be held. To honor his memory, please feel free to make a contribution to UIC’s Solid Organ Transplant Recipient Fund using this link: <https://go.uic.edu/BuscemiMemorial>. Gifts made through this link will directly support UIC's transplant program and patients like Carl. His family would also appreciate any memories or stories that his friends or former students would like to share. To share a memory or condolence please visit www.olsonfh.com.
Carl is survived by his wife Lynn; his daughter Nicki (Scott) of Lynn, Massachusetts; his son Aaron (Julie); his grandchildren and step-grandchildren, Connor, Bruno, Bryn, and Beckett; his brother Alfonso (Betsy), and his nieces and their families.
Preceding him in death are his parents and his sister Rose.
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Bruce Springer
His class of Psych 101 was the best and most interesting class I had in all my years in school. Auburn class of '73 was my grad year. Godspeed to Mr. Buschemi. My condolences to the family as well.