Obituaries
Obituary: Penelope Louise Caruso (nee Lale)
Penny's kind spirit, welcoming personality, bright smile, and the fun and laughter she brought to everyone will be deeply missed.
Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory.
Penelope Louise Caruso (nee Lale)
Penelope Louise (Lale) Caruso, age 86, of Channahon, Illinois, formerly of Glenwood and Chicago Heights, passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Penny was born on September 13, 1940 in Chicago Heights to the late Adeline (Sandera) and Marino Lale, and was raised there. She graduated from Bloom High School with the class of 1958.
Beloved wife of the late Robert Caruso; loving mother of Bob Caruso (Chris Arce), Dan (Cindy) Caruso, the late Perry Andrew, who died in infancy, Carrie (Tom) Capecci and Cathy (Bob) Pettigrew; proud grandmother of Nick (Paige) and Courtney Caruso; Kailey and Danny Caruso; Nicole (Brandt) Wilhelmi, Anthony and Gino Capecci; Abby, Elyse and Emma Pettigrew; Kylie McBride, Rebecca (Ryan) Pineda and Brynn Chavez; dearest great-grandmother — Gigi — to Benson Wilhelmi, Landon and Cal Caruso, Blake and Sloan McBride, and Jackson Pineda. She is also survived by several cousins.
After high school, Penny worked in Chicago. A short time later, while she was singing in the choir at St. Rocco, she spotted a cute usher named Bob. They married in 1961 and were together for 60 years. Penny and Bob made their home in Glenwood, where they lived until 1998, when they moved to Channahon.
Once married, Penny was a proud mother and a most efficient homemaker. She did some temp work with Davis Temporaries before joining Hirsch Funeral Home as an office manager in 1983. She worked at Hirsch Funeral Home for 20 years, then retired to help babysit her grandchildren.
Penny loved music and was born with a special gift of a beautiful soprano voice, one she worked tirelessly to train and perfect. She sang for everyone — in church choirs, in singing groups, at weddings and funerals, and on her own. Her rendition of Ave Maria at Christmas midnight Mass at St. Rocco was one of her hallmarks, mesmerizing all who were fortunate enough to hear her. She sang in the choirs at St. Rocco, St. Kieran and St. Ann, and belonged to several singing groups, two favorites being The New Harmonies and The Park Forest Singers. She was a beautiful cantor at St. Ann, where she was known as the "Songbird of St. Ann Parish." And she never missed a good musical when she could get to one.
Penny had a strong Catholic faith and an undying love of God and Church. She was a parishioner of St. Ann Parish for the last 28 years, and she actively contributed her time and her voice at every church she belonged to. Beyond serving as cantor and singing in the choir, Penny was an active member of St. Ann's CCW and was voted CCW Woman of the Year in 2005. She founded the St. Ann Prayer Tree and facilitated it for 12 years, and was part of the Renew group for many years.
No description of Penny would be complete without her kind spirit, her welcoming personality, her bright smile, and the fun and laughter she brought to everyone. But what truly made her a gem was her love of family and friends, and being the best mom and grandmother she could be. She made every effort to attend every concert, musical, dance recital, sporting event, graduation and sacrament of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, no matter the sacrifice or the distance she had to travel.
She entertained us with what we came to call "Pennyisms" — her whacko-whacko warning to the kids, teaching the grandkids the art of the pivot in basketball, dressing as Mrs. Claus at Christmas and the Great Pumpkin at Halloween. She was nothing but full of love and happiness. She loved a good chocolate malt, ice cream from DQ, matching her jewelry to every outfit, keeping her nails manicured, and never missing her weekly hair appointment. But most of all, she loved being a Grandma and a Gigi.
Visitation for Penny will be held Sunday, November 1 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road (at Essington Road), Joliet. Funeral services will be Monday, November 2, at St. Ann Catholic Church, 24500 S. Navajo Drive, Channahon, where all friends and relatives can gather from 9:00 a.m. until Penny’s Mass of Christian Burial is celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Penny's name may be made to Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care.
For more information please call 815-741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave an online condolence.
