Getting to Know The Cassones

How do two people stay married for 70 years? If you ask Michael Cassone, he will tell you; “I was away [from home] a lot"! Doris, when asked, will simply say, "He was away [from home] a lot"! On that subject, they are in complete agreement.

Most people know Michael as relentless jokester. “I never really know when he is serious and when he’s full of baloney.” says April Lentini, enrichment coordinator for Laurel Grove. “In any case, I’m never offended and usually entertained.”

What we do know to be true about Michael Cassone is that he was a mechanical engineer. His work history spans from 1936 through 1980. He has worked with Nash Kelvinator, Curtiss Wright, Boeing & Ford Motor, Gibson Aircraft, General Motors, and General Electric, among other companies. Some of his greatest career accomplishments include; development of the first 2-door refrigerator/freezer, and assisting in the design of the Lear Auto-Pilot.

Michael grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although colorful accounts of his brush with the Mafia vary (he likes to indulge the imagination,) it is true that in his youth, he experienced the impact of the Mafia on local merchants. They extracted "protection money" from community store owners. He says he witnessed an actual shooting of one of the merchants who did not comply. According to Cassone, Michael's father who was a wood carver by trade, was spared by the organized gangs because he did not generate the steady income the Mafia was after.

Doris was born in the Netherlands and came to the United States when she was just 9 years old. She attended the same high school as Michael but he was two years ahead of her class. After graduation, Doris went on a blind date with him, and after dating for a year, they were married. Doris worked in the retail field for 30 years, while raising 3 children. Their daughters, Lucille and Diana, reside in Melbourne, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota, respectively. Their son, Phillip, lives in Atlanta.

The Cassones have traveled extensively, including Egypt and Turkey. Doris declares that a cruise is the best way to travel, because everything is included for the passengers. Both Michael and Doris have some interesting stories to tell, but be forewarned;
Michael tends to embellish his stories a bit!

~Submitted by Joan Kalkbrenner, resident writer.