Carmel Adam Ceraolo was born on March 1, 1925 to Carmelo and Rosa (Versaggi) Ceraolo in Clearwater, Florida. He passed away on August 16, 2021 at Suncoast Hospice surrounded by his loving family. He was 96.
Family
Carmel is preceded in death by his wife, Angela Nicol Ceraolo, who died in 2015. Carmel and Angela met in St. Petersburg, Florida and married July 4, 1953 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. They were happily married for nearly 62 years. He was also preceded in death by his infant son Carmel Sinclair Ceraolo; son in law Timothy Pickles and his granddaughter Olivia Jane Ceraolo. Additionally he is survived by his children Cynthia Ceraolo Harris (Richard), Paul Carmel Ceraolo (Carla Borselli Ceraolo), Mark Francis Ceraolo (Patty Melo Ceraolo) all of Palm Harbor; Elizabeth Ceraolo Miyares (Jorge) of Jacksonville; and Susan Ceraolo Pickles of Cocoa, along with his grandchildren David Nicol Harris, Kent Richard Harris, Natalie Anne Harris, Michael Alexander Harris, Gabriella Maria Miyares, Cecilia Miyares McClane (Jordan), Isabella Miyares Kennedy (Jason), Mark Adam Ceraolo (Jacqueline Steinbrenner Ceraolo), Monica Grace Ceraolo, Jessica Marie Ceraolo, Olivia Jane Ceraolo (in heaven), Ian Andrew Ceraolo (Meredith Shevitz), Julia Sarah Ceraolo, Meaghan Grace Pickles, Brian Thomas Pickles, Angela Olivia Pickles and great-grandchildren Lucas Michael Mueller (Natalie Harris), Penelope Grace Clevinger and Piper Lotus Clevinger (Monica Ceraolo), Patrick Jason Kennedy and Walter Brian Kennedy (Isabella Miyares Kennedy), twins Atlas Emerson McClane and Miles August McClane (Cecilia Miyares McClane).
Life
Carmel was a Clearwater, Florida native. His family moved to Clearwater in the early 1900’s and was one of the first Italian families to settle here in Clearwater. He was the 10th of 12 children and is the last survivor. A devout Catholic, Carmel was the first baby baptized at St. Cecelia Catholic Church in Clearwater. Carmel served in the United States Navy during World War II as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class. He would put his aviation skills to good use later in life as a licensed pilot, owning his own Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Before getting into real estate Carmel worked in the family produce business as well as the Three Oaks Produce Market. He worked in real estate for over 60 years. He developed Tri City Plaza in Clearwater, a regional shopping center assembling local professionals to form a joint venture as well as organizing the grand opening celebration of the Skyway bridge in 1955. He developed Kent place on Allen’s Creek an acreage estate exclusive residential subdivision where he and Angela built a beautiful colonial home and lived for 29 years. Carmel sold a 70 acre tract to Hernando County School Board in 2006 for Weeki Wachee High School and a K-8 adjoining school at the age of 81 years old. He owned his own nursery on U.S. 19 as a hobby and grew citrus trees. Carmel traveled to Japan as a representative of the Largo Chamber of Commerce. He was a founding member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He was a member of the St. Petersburg and Clearwater Board of Realtors and a member of FGCAR Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors. Carmel was the quintessential American dream story.
Services
A funeral ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, August 28, 2021 at Veterans Funeral Care at 11:00 am. A public visitation will begin at 10:00 am. Jorge Miyares will be presiding over his funeral and the United States Navy will be providing military honors. Carmel will then be laid to rest with Angela at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park at 2:00 pm.
Special Acknowledgments
The Ceraolo family has asked that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made either to The Arc Tampa Bay Foundation (care and services for those with developmental disabilities) or to the 1 Voice Foundation (supporting children with cancer and their families).
Friends, family, and those who served with Carmel are invited to share a memory and sign his guestbook below. Click the link below to view the live link of Carmel’s service.
“A True Love Story”
Carmel Adam Ceraolo and Angela Margaret Sinclair Nicol (Ceraolo)
Our Parents were married July 4th, 1953 and were together for over 61 years. Our Mother was a doctor’s daughter from a British family attending the finest schools & finishing school in Switzerland. Our Father’s parents were immigrants from Sicily who came through Ellis Island to seek the American Dream and had twelve children. When our Father first encountered our Mother he knew he had met an amazing woman, but our Mother also knew that she had met an amazing man. Our Mom was elegant, eloquent, charming and of course had a beautifully refined English Accent. Our Father is the embodiment of the American Dream: hard working, creative and a successful pioneer in real estate development. More importantly, he was an honorable man of his word, a great listener and dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He was the noble Patriarch and mentor of our family. Together our parents made a dynamic team successfully overcoming life’s challenges and were totally devoted to each other. They tragically lost their first child but became the proud parents of an additional 5 children and ultimately grandparents to 16 grandchildren. They also tragically lost one of their granddaughters. Their legacy currently includes 7 great grandchildren and 15 grandchildren. Our Father worked diligently to provide our Mother the lifestyle he felt she deserved and had left behind in England, including beautiful homes and the opportunity to travel the world (England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Alaska. Twelve years ago our Mother fell victim to a severe stroke and as years went on subsequent strokes. As the days and years passed, our Dad and we sadly lost the vibrant woman we knew. Our Father provided our Mom with the best of care and all of his love and devotion. In her greatest time of need, our Dad selflessly showed our Mom true compassion and respect, having her cared for at their home. Even when our Dad was fighting to maintain his own self-worth and dignity, our Mother was always his true focus. Our mother died five years ago and our father missed her terribly. Now they are once again united. Our parents have taught and continue to teach us the true meaning of love, as their life together was “A True Love Story”.
Love Cindy
My mother Georgia Crouch was in the same ALF w Carmel. My family got to know Carmel and his family very well during that time. Carmel loved to dance and was always at the social gatherings dancing whenever there was music. He was a precious gentleman and full of fun. It was a pleasure to know Carmel and his family! He would come to my sing a long Gospel time on Sunday and would join in praising the Lord. He was a blessing to be around and I’m glad we had the privilege to spend time w this wonderful man!
I am so sad to hear about the passing of your dear father and grandfather.He was an amazing man of many accomplishments . We remember him fondly from the time he was with our mom Georgia Crouch at Safety Harbor ALF. I pray God will comfort your family, in Jesus’Name amen
Love, Joan Looker and Valerie
To the Ceraolo Family: My sincere sympathy to each of you…Your Father was a True Achiever..He saw the American Dream come true. My prayers are with each of you…Hugs to All
Resi Lisser’s family (Renee & Arthur) send their condolences to Carmel’s family. He was a great dancer and a wonderful friend to Resi!
Cindy & Rick and the other siblings all spoke beautifully!
May his memory be a blessing to his entire family.
OUR DAD CARMEL A. CERAOLO August 28, 2021
Although I have had over 6 years to write a tribute to my Dad, I could never bring myself to do so, for fear it might expedite his passing. Sadly, as we all know, our parents deaths are inevitable and regardless of how much time we have with them, selfishly we wish we had a little bit more. I take comfort knowing that our parents are at peace and finally back together.
Our Dad was a phenomenal man, devoted husband and loving father and grandfather and a true mentor. As everyone here has or will express he was the ultimate Success story and was not deterred by anyone in going for his dreams. He was a fighter until the end.
He knew if he worked hard he could achieve great things and he did developing and managing Tri-City Plaza and developing, marketing and selling acreage estate lots at Kent Place on Allen’s Creek where he offered free pony rides as an incentive to get parents to look at the waterfront lots.
When our Father met our Mother he knew he had met an amazing woman, but our Mother also knew that she had met an amazing man. Our Mom was elegant, eloquent, charming and of course had a beautiful English Accent. She was an uncanny combination of Jacqueline Kennedy and Lucille Ball. Our Father was the embodiment of the American Dream: hard working, creatively successful in real estate development and a man of his word. And who could forget those Baby Blue eyes. Together our parents made a dynamic team and were totally devoted to each other.
Our parent’s marriage was considered a “Mixed Marriage” by our Australian/British grandmother. Any time our grandmother would give our Dad a hard time, he would retort with “Well Dorothy, you know who they sent to Australia? Queen Victoria sent the British criminals to Australia. That certainly silenced her!
As a young child I remember my Dad taking me to meet the then president of Publix in Lakeland and listening and learning the skill of negotiating through his conversations. He took me along to many business meetings throughout the years and always reminded me not to be afraid or intimidated, to seek out the Person at the Top of the organization.
As their eldest child, I was so excited and felt privileged to stay up with them and clean the carpet together of our 1100 SF house of on Fairfield Avenue in St. Pete, which ultimately housed our family of 7 and where I spent most of my childhood.
I remember my Dad and Mom taking me to my first opera in my beautiful new dress.
As children we would drive from St. Petersburg to Clearwater to visit the Ceraolo/Leandri clan and celebrate Sunday dinners with spaghetti, Aunt Francis Chicken, fresh salads and green beans picked from our grandmother’s garden.
For years we would have picnics on our waterfront 2 acre lot in Kent Place on Allen’s Creek with my Dad promising “Someday we will build a beautiful house here”. With every additional child, Dad brought home new expanded floor plans which we would lay out on the floor and examine in detail. Our Dad fulfilled his promise and as our gorgeous 4,000 sf home on Kent Place was being constructed, I remember asking my Dad “Dad are you sure it’s Big Enough”
I remember my Dad helping me build a wet cell battery in our garage and giving me the most beautiful science book, as a reminder that I could do and be anything.
I remember as a small child going to the old architecturally exquisite U.S. Post Office Building on Central Avenue with my Dad, where he bought a newspaper. On the way home, he realized that the blind vendor had overpaid him $10 cents. He then drove back to return him the dime. I have told that story to our children numerous times ie “Thou Shalt not Steal”
I remember sitting on my Dad’s lap crying as we watched President John F. Kennedy’s funeral. Our Dad had shook hands with the president at Tampa Airport, 3 days before JFK was assassinated in Dallas. He was an avid fan of our great president.
I remember visiting our Dad’s 34th Street St. Pete Office that he shared with fellow commercial real estate icons Henry Blanton and Elmer Krauss to copy brochures for our summer neighborhood productions. My sister Lisa and I actually auditioned fellow neighborhood children; it was serious! Or so we thought. We had singing, dancing and of course Mark and Paul’s miraculous feat of falling backwards off our swing set bar, with their knees holding on tightly for dear life, while wildly swinging upside down. We called this stunt “The Death of Life”.
I remember going to the Notre Dame Academy Father daughter dances as a special treat. Although I had several years of jazz and ballet it was a challenge keeping up with my Dad. He was a great dancer and loved dancing all throughout his lifetime.
Did I mention our Dad had the most gorgeous blue eyes. Our Dad would always tell the story of getting on a bus where a lady asked him “Are your eyes killing you???, because they’re sure killing me!” When I met my husband Rick, I informed him straight on that I was unable to marry him because I had a recessive blue gene from my Dad and since he had brown eyes and a dominant brown gene, all our children would have brown eyes. Well I guess Love overcomes all because yes, all of our children have brown eyes.
My Dad’s best subject in school was geometry and so was mine and he taught me how to play chess. I have since taught some of our children and our grandson Lucas when he was 5. Our parents taught us to appreciate the beauty of nature with all our trips to the North Carolina Mountains. My Dad also taught me how to air layer plants.
When I would mention our Dad was Italian, people would stereotypically assume he was loud, boisterous and had a temper. Not our Dad. He was soft spoken, a great listener, pensive and told great corny jokes. He was an avid reader, had a thirst for knowledge and was a fixer on many levels.
He would frequently quote famous idioms
You can’t judge a book by its cover.
Patience is a virtue.
Penny wise and pound foolish.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
If you sleep with dogs you get flees.
Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.
And 1st and foremost “You can’t fight City Hall.”
And who can forget Dad’s rendition of:
Root ta to toot Root ta to Toot .We’re the boys from the Institute. We don’t smoke we don’t chew we don’t go with the girls that do. Do you? Our Class won the bible!
Our Father worked diligently to provide our Mother the lifestyle he felt she deserved and had left behind in England, including beautiful homes and the opportunity to travel the world. Twelve years ago our Mother fell victim to a severe stroke and as years went by subsequent strokes. As the days and years passed, our Dad and we sadly lost the vibrant woman we knew. Our Father provided our Mom with the best care and all his love and devotion. In her greatest time of need, our Dad selflessly showed our Mom true compassion and respect, never resentment. Even when our Dad was fighting to maintain his own self-worth and dignity, our Mother was always his true focus.
My parents were always there when I needed them and I hope I was there for them.
They have taught and will continue to remind us of the true meaning of love, as their life together was a True Love Story. I love you Dad and will try to live my life in a way that makes you proud!