Class of 1956
Cecilia Kramer, Barbara Cox, and Veronica Sirpilla, members of the Crusader class of 1956, recently visited campus to celebrate 67 years since graduating from CCHS. They started the morning with mass celebrated by Fr. Don King and then enjoyed a tour of the school to see the many changes on campus. Our staff was glad that these ladies visited and enjoyed our "Welcome Home" reunion options.
Class of 1958
On August 26 the class of 1958 gathered for lunch at La Pizzaria followed by mass in our campus chapel with Fr. Don King. Many thanks to reunion planner Ed Herzog for reaching out to the advancement team for help with planning the event.
Elaine Russell Reolfi, 1985
Elaine Russell Reolfi was featured for her work with CommQuest Services, where she began serving as president and chief executive officer in 2021. To read more, please visit The Repository.
Neena Seshagiri Kuzmich, 1992
On July 7, 2023, Neena Seshagiri Kuzmich (Class of 1992) was appointed as the Director of Engineering at the San Diego County Water Authority; the first woman to lead the engineering department since the agency’s formation in 1944! Kuzmich joined the Water Authority in 2013 and has 26 years of experience in design, construction, and project management. Prior to her appointment as director, she served as deputy director of engineering. Kuzmich is responsible for overseeing and managing the design and construction of Capital Improvement Program projects, and the implementation of the Water Authority’s energy management policy. She is currently leading efforts to advance the proposed San Vicente Energy Storage Facility. She is a registered professional engineer in the State of California.
James Brown & Paul Palaski, 2022
CCHS is proud that a significant number of Crusaders are committed to earning their Eagle Scout Award. Recently, two of our alumni were awarded that distinction. This ceremony was extra special for the Crusader family. When a scout earns the Eagle distinction, they can choose someone to pin as a mentor. A person who helped them get to that point in their scouting career. James Brown (Class of 2022) and Paul Palaski (Class of 2022) both earned Eagle and selected Central staff members to pin! James pinned Mr. Jim Sicker, a Crusader graduate and beloved science teacher at Central Catholic. Paul pinned Mr. Kevin Powell, a long time Latin & computer science teacher at CCHS who recently retired but remains committed to the Crusaders as tech support. When we heard about this special news and reached out to ask about it. Mrs. Brown shared, "both teachers had a huge, positive impact on our son (and on Paul). We are blessed that even after graduation, they remain a part James and Paul’s lives.
Mary Pat
Mary Pat is a fine artist who uses Sharpie Markers, pens, pastels, acrylic, and watercolor paints to create abstract and geometric art pieces. She recently completed a Pictorem online gallery of her art for sale.
Lucas Cary and Aubrey Gang, 1999
Lucas Cary and Aubrey Gang are engaged. Cary is father to one son (age 16) and Gang is mother to one son (age 22) from previous marriages. The pair plan to wed later this year.
Father Brian Smith, 2004
In June of this year, Brian was ordained and is now associate pastor at St. Paul Church in North Canton.
Anya Miconi, 2016
Anya graduated from The University of Toledo with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2020. She is currently working as a Sustaining Engineer with Cook Medical and was married in September 2021.
Nathaniel Reckenbeil, 2016
Central graduate Nathaniel Reckenbeil (Class of 2016) was recently featured in Hills Living Magazine for his selection to the 2022 Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC) Legislative Fellowship Program. Only 23 people were selected for the fellowship out of more than 150 applicants! Congratulations, Nathan! Another Crusader graduate that makes us #CrusaderProud! Read More.
Chuck Feicht, 1963
Chuck is married to Rosalind and has five children living in New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, and California. Chuck retired as Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force and is a Bronze Star recipient. Thank you for your service, Chuck!
Don and Judy (Fladung) David, 1967
Don and Judy recently celebrated 50 years of marriage with a trip back to Chicago. Both are retired and living in Bluffton, SC. Don is currently serving as Director of Community Outreach for Congaree Golf Club and Judy tends to their 10 grandchildren, book clubs, and her flower gardens.
Larry Truax, 1972
Larry retired from Grote Industries in May 2020 as Manager of Continuous Improvement. Previously, he had been college administrator and President of the Prince of Peace Catholic Schools. Larry currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Management at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. Larry has lived in Madison, IN since 1983.
Patricia A (Laubacher) Swann, 1947
On December 30th, Patricia was married 70 years to her handsome former Marine/Aerospace Engineer retiree, David. She has one son, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Robert Chmel, 1961
After teaching school for four years, Robert started his professional drum playing career in the Glenn Miller band, then played for Frank Sinatra, Jr. for 40 years. Robert has traveled the world playing for many other bands, singers, and entertainers, including Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, and Don Severinsen. This December, Robert performed at Carnegie Hall, playing a special Sinatra show with Bob Anderson and a 30-piece orchestra. In addition, Robert taught for 30 years at the renowned Birch Creek Jazz Camp in Wisconsin.
Katie (Lupsor) Mainini, 1999
Take a look at this great story about Katie, a Crusader graduate, who is making a difference in their community as the Big Brothers Big Sisters director. We're proud of alumni like Katie who have a servant's heart. Read more.
Michele Kelley, 1970
Michele is Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Chicago Health Sciences Colleges. She lives near her four-generation family in Salt Lake County, UT. She is active with the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine; and enjoys arts & music festivals, mountain biking, yoga, nature walks, scientific publishing, and environmental advocacy.
Joe Cerreta, 1967
Joe and his wife Marisa celebrated 52 years of marriage this past August and are still on their Honeymoon in Eastern Arizona on their Hobby Farm, which is a far cry from their Candy Business in Glendale, Az.
Mark Scarpitti, 1991
Mark was named Executive Vice President & General Counsel at 1st Franklin Financial Corporation near Atlanta, Georgia. Mark is married to Penni (Lippert), CCHS '90, who teaches third-grade language arts at Dyer Elementary School in Gwinnett County, GA. The couple has two boys: John, 18, who is a Freshman at the University of Georgia, and Matthew, 14, who is a freshman at Mill Creek High School.
McKenzie Miller, 2007
McKenzie is a Kent State University School of Nursing graduate and currently lives in Laguna Niguel, CA, working as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse. McKenzie spent the last year as a traveling NICU nurse.
Mikayla (Miller) Clements, 2009
Mikayla is a Kent State University School of Nursing graduate and recently married Ramses Clements in September 2021. Mikayla lives in North Royalton and works at Metro Hospital in Cleveland as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse.
2021 STACC Alumni Participants
Earlier this summer, alumni from both Central Catholic and St. Thomas Aquinas came together for the 10th Annual STACC Alumni Golf Outing. This year, 25 teams and 96 golfers participated on June 12 at Sable Creek Golf Course. The event was sponsored by more than 50 sponsors. They were able to raise $7,500 to give back to St. Thomas Aquinas and Central Catholic High Schools! The 2021 winning team consisted of St. Thomas Aquinas faculty and alumni: Mike Fetters ('08), Kevin Hill, Ryan Hill, and Tim Neary with a score of -16. Over the past 10 years, the participants of the STACC have raised approximately $40,000 for our Stark County Catholic High Schools, had 700 people participate in the event, and has been supported by more than 200 sponsors. Central alumni have won six times.
Ed Purcell, 1960
Ed is living and working in the DC area. He just signed up for the Moffitt Memorial 2021 bicycle tour on the Ohio to Erie Trail. Ed rode the tour in 2019 and was thrilled to visit CCHS for the first time in 60 years.
Patricia Kraft, 1966
Patricia has three grown children and seven grandchildren, all living in Ohio. She is now retired on the shores of Lake Erie and enjoying nature daily.
Ray Miller, 1966
Ray is a Professor in Theatre Arts and Dance Studies at Appalachian State University. He wrote and directed a play, “Kent State: Then, and Again,” based on his experience at Kent State University in May 1970 when the Ohio National Guard killed four students and wounded nine others.
Mark Kramer, 1967
Mark and his wife Elaine celebrated their 44th Wedding Anniversary on May 28 and are planning to move to Pace, FL in the fall.
Ruth (Oxley) Rockidge, 1971
Ruth and her husband are enjoying retirement in the country after spending 40 years in the hustle and bustle of Southern California. They have three children; eight grandchildren; a granddaughter-in-law and two great-granddaughters. Their eldest two grandsons followed in the footsteps of their father and joined the US Marine Corps.
Rev. Richard J. Pentello, 1971
Rev. Pentello was ordained as a priest in 1979. In addition to him currently serving as pastor of St. Patrick Church in Kent, Bishop David Bonnar has also appointed him pastor of Kent State University Parish Newman Center, effective June 1, 2021. He also serves as Dean of Portage County.
Lisbeth (Wille) Tordsen, 1972
Beth has lived in Cascais, Portugal (near Lisbon) for over 14 years and loves it.
Cynthia (Fox) Martin, 1975
Cindy retired April 30, 2021, after working for a Landstar trucking agency as a dispatcher/customer service rep for the past eight years.
Stephanie (Schweizer) Cooper, 1978
Married 42 years, Stephanie is a grandmother of 12, a retired teacher with ten years at St. Joan of Arc and 18 years at Central Catholic, the owner/operator of “Suppers by Stephanie,” an advertising coordinator for Living Bread Radio, and an employee of St. Raphael’s Gifts and Books store.
Larry Suter, 1983
Larry is a Field Representative with the Knights of Columbus in Akron and Canton.
Steve Bossart, 1985
Steve is the new Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Coleman Health Services (formerly Coleman Professional Services). He is responsible for building the business, fundraising, and marketing. Steve is a graduate of Kent State University with a masters from Case Western Reserve University and lives in Copley with his wife Lorrie and two daughters, Sloane (11) and Sutton (9).
Lisa (Fry) Green, 1990
Lisa is currently living in SC. She and her husband, Joseph, opened Action Billiards Bar and Grille in late October 2020 and just found out they were nominated at one of the top 5 places to throw darts in all of Spartanburg County.
Lieutenant Colonel Michael H. Adorjan, 1994
Lieutenant Adjoran, U.S. Army Special Forces, serves as Deputy Director (J5) for Strategic Plans and Posture for Special Operations Command Africa. The focus is on countering violent extremist organizations and Geo-Political Competition. In addition to a BA from The Citadel, he has an MA from Webster University and the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies.
Capt. Todd Locke, 2012
Locke is the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal flight commander and is currently stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany helping more than 4,000 Afghan evacuees relocate. Read More: Capt. Todd Locke, 2012
Cory Stuffelbeam, 2013
Cory is Engineering Manager at SpaceX on the Starship Program. He is working to get us to Mars from South Texas!
Patrick Murphy, 2015
In his last three outings (against Indiana and Michigan) Murphy has pitched 5.2 innings of no-run, 2-hit baseball. Read More.
Daniel Platek, 2016
Dan is a 2020 graduate of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State and is currently enrolled at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, expecting to graduate in 2023.
Kenneth Berry, CCHS, 1984
Ken is retired from the food industry, where he worked in both retail and sales. He lives in the Cincinnati, OH area, and has two children - a son and a daughter – and two granddaughters.
Tom Shuman, CCHS, 1999
Tom is a Fire Program Administrator for the Ohio DNR Division of Forestry. He and his wife Kristin have two children - William (8), Elizabeth (6).
Patricia (Mang) Suchan, 1957
Patricia entered the convent in Euclid, OH in 1961 and spent ten months in France as a nun. She left the order in 1970 to work as a registered nurse. She retired after 45 years.
Donald King, 1966
Don retired in August of 2019 and is currently living in Florida, where he serves on the adjunct staff of St. Joseph Parish in Stuart, FL.
Mary Lou (Seimetz) Wentzel, 1958
In 2018, Mary Loy retired from teaching after 25 years at Bishop D. J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, VA. Her husband, Jim (’58) is a retired lawyer. They have three children and eight grandchildren. Presently, Mary Lou is a substitute teaching at her parish school in Richmond, VA.
Joyce Rothermel, 1963
Joyce and her husband Michael Drohan celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year. Joyce is a member of the national board of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice to end hunger at home and abroad. Joyce also serves as the Chair of her parish's Social Justice and Peace Committee.
Jeffrey Caracillo, 1980
Boeing Executive - Retired BS, MS Mechanical Engineering Executive MBA Ohio State Alumni
Geraldine (Pilati) Aventino, 1957
Geraldine retired from FirstMerit Bank and First Merit Mortgage in April 2015.
Angela (Marks) Marasia, 1974
Anglea is a retired School Administrator with 2 daughters 5 grandchildren.
Scott Johnson, 1981
Scott is a retired Shift Commander from the Canton Township Fire Department.
Colleen L (Konen) Rowland, 1972
Coleen serves as Vice President, Commercial and SBA Lending at PlainsCapital Bank.
The Honorable Alan Page, 1963
Judge Page played 15 seasons in the NFL and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After leaving the NFL, he pursued a legal career and served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 until 2015 when he retired. In 2018, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Bryce Abbott, 2019
Bryce was named to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference 2019-2020 Academic All-Conference Team at Walsh University.
N. Michael Jackson, 1981
Husband, Father, Musician, IT Business Owner, all-around cool guy.
James Laubacher, 1975
Jamies is retired after 34 years with BP.
Rita Hutcheson, 1963
Rita retired as a Colonel from the Army Nurse Corps in 1992 and as Fire Chief at SE Thurston Fire Authority in 2011.
Geraldine Allen, 1965
Geraldine is a Pink Zebra Independent Consultant and has two daughters and sons-in-law with two granddaughters and two grandsons.
George Jordan '68- George is a retired Marine, Vietnam veteran, and retired police lieutenant.
Tracy (Clugston) Fout '74- Tracy has been married to her husband, Blaine for 40 years. She is currently employed by Nickles Bakery in the Electronic Data Interchange and Business Administration Departments.
Susan Marie Husser '76- Susan is currently an Administrative Assistant at Stark State College for Disability Services and Military Services.
Vincent Scarpitti '79- Vinnie is a musician and music instructor.
Doug Fischer '80- Doug "retired" in October 2019 as the Anoka County Highway Engineer after 28 years in public service. However, he then immediately started at the engineering consulting firm TKDA in St. Paul, MN as its Vice President of the Municipal Services Division. He is a proud father of four children and has three grandchildren.
Thomas Samartino '84- Married February 13, 2014, to Cindy, Tom works part-time at Freedom Alliance, an agency that serves disabled veterans and active-duty military service members.
Lori (Schroeder) Wemhoff '84- After spending 10 years as Executive Director of the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Lori was recently named Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the American Osteopathic Association headquartered in Chicago.
Anthony Brown '89- Anthony married Lisa (Kiko) Brown ('89) on June 8, 2020.
Suzanne (Eberhardt) Turner '90- Suzanne is married to Jeff ('89) and the couple has three children - Christian (20), Gracie (16), Sydney (15).
Tricia Ostertag '99- Tricia recently earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Akron. Dr. Ostertag’s dissertation was “Using Creative Placemaking and Community-led Design to Revitalize Downtowns: A Study of Canton, OH.” She currently serves the community as Vice President of ArtsinStark and is an adjunct professor at Walsh and Kent Stark.
Tiffany (Gets) Ruiz '01- Married for seven years, Tiffany and her husband are both veterans of the USMC and the Navy. They have two boys. Tiffany currently works as a cryogenic plant operator for Air Products in Cleveland.
Gabe Turk '06- Gabe is slated to marry Ashley Poland of Marysville, Ohio on October 20, 2020.
Lisa (Angelo) Sponseller '09- Lisa was married in 2019 and is expecting a baby in October 2020.
Joseph E. Cebulko '10- Joseph has earned a Master of Science in Applied Meteorology and currently works for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) at National Water Center.
Harold Ziegler, Jr. ’51- On March 5, Ziegler was honored with the Stark Catholic Elementary School Alumni partnership's 2019 Alumnus of the Year Award. Ziegler was presented this year’s award by the 2018 Alumna of the Year honoree, Renee Powell. The morning was filled was filled with speakers including Dana Scallon, a Catholic singer and composer who shared stories about Ziegler and Catholic education. Read more about the 2019 Alumnus of the Year honoree.
Kathy (Healy) Wagner '60- Kathy Wagner has been married to Don Wagner for 50 years and they share two adult children, two adult grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Wagner is president of Centerville Garden Club and in June 2019 will be installed as second Vice President for Garden Club of Ohio.
Renee Powell ’64- Renee Powell was the second African-American women to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the first black woman to be elected to membership in the PGA of America, and was one of seven women to be named as honorary Members of the 260-year-old Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andres, Scotland. In 2017, Powell was inducted into the PGA of American Hall of Fame. In 2018, Powell was named the 2018 Alumna of the Year honoree by the Stark Catholic Elementary School Alumni partnership.
Bob Belden ’65- Bob Belden is now a member of the Board of Directors of Stark County Catholic Schools and is the CEO of The Belden Brick Co. After CCHS, Belden attended Notre Dame College and was a standout quarterback for the football team, leading him to the NFL.
Rosemary (Lonce) Cramer ’69- Rosemary (RN, BSN) went on to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master at ReikiTouch, LLC. She has been nursing for 42 years and is now retired.
William J. "Bill" Hammel '69- Hammel is the retired founder, Chairman and CEO Synovus Bank of Jacksonville.
Terry A. Snow ’74- Dr. Smith is the Executive Director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department. She has a daughter and granddaughter.
John P. Hughes ’82- John has been inducted into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame for his time spent as a football player.
PJ Chavez ’00- PJ was selected as one of the recipients of the “Twenty under 40” award winners this year. He is currently the Director of Campus Ministry for CCHS and director of liturgical services at Walsh University.
Andrea Legg ’00- Andrea has been named Librarian of the Year by the Ohio Library Council. She currently oversees four branch locations, a mobile services department, and a busy technical services department.
Ryan Bitzel ’00- Ryan has been named the Major League Physical Therapist for the Seattle Mariners baseball team. This is his first season with the Mariners organization, and he spent the last seven years with the San Diego Padres as their minor league rehab coordinator.
Cameron DeMarsh ’10- Cameron recently graduated from dental school and moved back to the Canton area to practice.
Andrew Farina ’14- Former CCHS Swimmer Andrew Farina earned a top 50 academic award at Ohio Wesleyan’s 14th Annual Dale J. Bruce Scholarship Athlete Awards Dinner. He recently finished 25th in the 200-meter breaststroke and 26th in the 400-individual medley at the North Coast Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships.
Griffin Baumoel ’17- Griffin, a Navy linebacker, has received the Vice Admiral William P. Mack Award, which is presented to the most improved player during spring football drills as voted on by the Midshipmen’s coaching staff.
Clay Richards ’18- Richards has earned 21 merit badges, in only four years, from the Troop 265 in North Canton. For Clay’s service project, he built and installed houses for wood ducks along a walking trail within the Stark Parks North Canton area. Currently, Richards is studying civil engineering at Stark State.
Central Catholic’s 2008 State Championship Baseball Team was inducted into the Greater Stark County Amateur Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame on Jan. 20, 2018!