Local man remembered for engineering and design feats

Jack Thomas Castronovo, formerly of Sugar Grove, was an accomplished civil engineer who supervised the building of bridges throughout the Chicago area.

He also designed four homes for his family, including one in Sugar Grove, where he lived with his sister Jennie.

Mr. Castronovo died Dec. 15 at the age of 85 at Clair Oaks Living Center in Bartlett.

"He was an extremely intelligent, professional engineer," said his brother Joseph Castronovo of St. Charles. "He helped design bridges and supervised the building of bridges. He was extremely precise.

"He was also very friendly, cordial, and excited when he did something well," said Joseph Castronovo. "He liked all his nieces and nephews and he would help them with their homework."

Joseph recalled that his brother designed a two-flat in Chicago for their parents, as well as houses for other family members in Wheaton, St. Charles and Sugar Grove.

"Each had a unique design," his brother said. "He should have been a builder."

His sister Jennie Castronovo of Schaumburg, with whom he lived for years, remembers a special career achievement when Mr. Castronovo supervised the building of a bridge over Cicero Avenue in Chicago.

"When he was finished, that bridge was off less than a quarter inch," Jennie Castronovo recalled. "It was almost unbelievable, but Jack did it.

"He was a very gentle man, an ethical man," she added. "He had one of the driest humors you'd ever run across. I'm going to miss him terribly. He did everything for me."

Mr. Castronovo was born March 29, 1923 in Chicago to Ella and James Castronovo. He served in the Air Force during World War II from 1941 to 1943. It was his job to study weather conditions and try and forecast the weather before U.S. pilots went on missions.

When he returned to the U.S., Mr. Castronovo studied civil engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology and graduated in 1951. During his career, he worked for the village of Wilmette, the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois.

In addition to his brother and sister, Mr. Castronovo is survived by his nephews Joseph Jr., Thomas and Michael Castronovo, his niece Mary Lisa Vale, and grandnieces and grandnephews.

A funeral mass is planned for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18 at St. Patrick Church, 6N491 Crane Road in St. Charles.