Educator Frank Carasiti dies at 78

Frank Carasiti, of Wading River, who spent more than 47 years serving as superintendent of several Long Island school districts, died Saturday. He was 78.

Carasiti, who was the namesake for a Rocky Point elementary school, was remembered as an educator who mentored students, teachers and administrators across the Island, his family and school officials said.

"He was first and foremost an educator devoted to his career," said his wife, Vanessa Carasiti, 64, an attorney. "He was the kind of man who wanted to get things done efficiently. He was very skilled at bringing people together."

Born in Medford, Carasiti lived in Wading River for more than 50 years. After graduating high school, he joined the Army and served two years during the Korean War as a trainer based in Syracuse, his wife said. There he developed an interest in teaching.

In the 1950s, he went to school in upstate New York, earning an undergraduate degree in economics and a master's in education from Niagara University, his family said.

Carasiti went on to teach sixth grade in Rocky Point from 1957 until 1963, when he was asked to become the district superintendent, his family said. He held this position until he retired in 1990. In his honor, school officials dubbed a local school Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School.

Carasiti, however, wasn't done yet. He became an interim superintendent for several districts, including Greenport, Hampton Bays, and Three Village Central School District, his wife said.

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"He's a leading figure in Long Island education," said Nicholas Giuliano, school board president of the Harborfields Central School District. "He was a guide to numerous boards of educations, including my own."

Carasiti's family remembers him as a traveler, avid gardener and stable presence.

"My father is my hero," said Carasiti's younger daughter, Catherine Carasiti, 27, of Wading River. "He put on a tough exterior, but he had a good and kind heart."

In addition to his wife and younger daughter, Frank Carasiti is survived by six other children: Michelle Morin, 53, of Berlin, Conn.; David Carasiti, 51, of Hockessin, Del.; Peter Carasiti, 50, of Clayton, N.C.; Kevin Carasiti, 49, of Rocky Point; Keith Carasiti, 48, of Oakland, Maine; and Timothy Carasiti, 43, of Ramona, Calif. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

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A visitation will be held at Alexander-Tuthill Funeral Home in Wading River Monday and Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Carasiti's funeral will be held at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in Sound Beach on Wednesday at 11 a.m.