Gina Marie Carissimo

Gina Marie Carissimo, 56, of Rome, passed away on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Born May 2, 1968, she grew up in Utica where she received her diploma from Notre Dame Sr. High School.

   Her early years were spent with her loving parents and her brother Scott. It was seeing her parents’ struggles to secure accommodations for her brother’s disability that inspired her to follow her mother’s example by caring and advocating for those with disabilities. After earning her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, she tirelessly committed herself to social work on the behalf of people with developmental disabilities. 

   As well as a selfless member of her community, she was also a cherished member of her family as a daughter, wife, and mother. She will be remembered for her excellent sense of humor, her unlimited capacity for compassion and guidance, and her unending drive to love and care for her family. She constantly searched for ways to provide comfort and meet needs for those around her, an impulse which manifested itself in her notorious love for animals.

   She is survived by her father Fred Wenz Jr., her brother Scott, her husband Leonard, and her children Christina, Logan, Jacob, and Jonathan. 

Funeral Services will be celebrated with a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, January 24, 2025 at 11:00am at St. Peter’s Church, 200 N. James St., with Rev. Sean P. O’Brien as celebrant. Calling hours will be from 10:00am – 11:00am prior to the mass. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Hospice Foundation of Central New York or American Red Cross.