Death Of Morristown Math Teacher Leaves Community Mourning

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Students, friends, and family are mourning the sudden death of a beloved Morristown math teacher.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched in memory of Michael F. Caruso, a popular math teacher at Morristown High School who died unexpectedly on Monday.

According to Superintendent Anne Mucci, the Morris School District's counseling team and Traumatic Loss Coalition have been providing grief counseling and support to students, faculty, and staff this week.

"Our dear friend Michael Caruso was taken from us too early. He was a father, husband, son, friend, and mentor to his students. If you knew Mike, you’d know how much he touched the lives of everyone around him with his kindness and sense of humor," said Maryann White, who set up the GoFundMe page.

Caruso was a beloved high school math teacher who worked in the Morris School District for more than a decade. He also participated in the Summer Plus Program, where he taught a range of interesting classes to local students, igniting his passion for education, Mucci said.

Many past students wrote fond memories of the times they had Caruso as a teacher on the fundraiser page.

"Our daughter had Mr. Caruso 8 years ago and I can still remember her talking about his funny stories and how much she enjoyed his class. It is obvious that he had a tremendous impact on all of his students and truly took pride in being a teacher," posted Debbie Hessels.

As of Friday morning, $32,952 has been raised for the Caruso family.

"Mr. Caruso had a tremendously positive impact on his students, he will be deeply missed by our Morris School District Community," Mucci said.

Along with his love of teaching, Caruso was an avid sports fan, particularly of the Jets and Mets. Caruso was also an avid vinyl record collector and enjoyed listening to Weezer more than any other band, according to his obituary.

A wake will be held at the Dangler Funeral Home, 600 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains, on Friday, Mar. 3, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. According to the funeral home, "a continued flow…will aid in keeping all of us healthy and safe, with everyone having an opportunity to pay their respects.”

A funeral mass will be held at St. Virgil's Church, 250 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains, on Saturday, Mar. 4, at 10:00 a.m., followed by burial at Holy Rood Cemetery, Morris Township.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in memory of Caruso may be made to the Morris Educational Foundation, 50 Early Street, Morristown.