John Albert Caselli

John Albert Caselli was born June 6th, 1952 at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, CA to George & Annetta Caselli. He grew up in River Park with his younger brothers Jim and Mike. He attended St. Mary Elementary School, graduating in 1966. He then attended Christian Brothers High School, graduating from there in 1970. After high school, he attended Sacramento State and graduated with a BA in Communications in 1975.

During his Junior year of high school, he met and became smitten with Barbara Jane Hill. They fell in love quickly and were married on April 14th, 1973. On June 17th, 1979, John & Barbara welcomed their first child, Tony. He was followed 23 months later by a brother, David, on May 16th, 1981. Four years after that, John & Barbara completed their family with the birth of their daughter Anna on June 27th, 1985.

John enjoyed a successful and consistent career in media sales for 40 years. He worked for 12 years at KROY Radio in Sacramento, and then for 28 years at Channel 31 (later KMAX, later CBS). He loved working in radio and television, he was incredibly good at his job, and he was liked and respected by bosses, coworkers, and clients alike.

He was an active parishioner at Sacred Heart Church, serving as a Eucharistic Minister and on the foundation for the parish school. He was an avid runner, completing the California International Marathon over 30 times, several other marathons all over the country, and continuing to run with the Buffalo Chips running club every week. He was a member of the Dante Club Italian Society, serving as a member of their board and helping put out their newsletter. He served as secretary for the Tract 39 Cabin Association. He also gave his time to various charitable organizations such as Loaves & Fishes, the Rotary Club of Sacramento, Score Mentoring, and the Sacramento Renaissance Society.

He absolutely loved music. His record collection would be the envy of any audiophile out there, and he could tell you way more than you probably ever wanted to know about almost every LP in his collection. He especially loved the music he had grown up with in the 60s, and the Beatles were his favorite. His collection takes up significant real estate in the house. Two and a half years ago, he was gifted a bass guitar by his brothers. At 70, this man dedicated himself to finally learning to play an instrument. This past summer, he played as part of a rock and roll band with his brothers, his nephew, and some close family friends. He was pretty good.

In addition to music, he also loved Italian food, Christmas, Santa Cruz, Carmel, the family cabin, and growing up in River Park. However, he loved nothing as much as he loved being “Nonno” to his grandchildren. Miller, Charlie, Thomas, Sam, Zachary, Lucca, and Barbara were his absolute favorites and he cherished the time he got to play with them, to laugh with them, and to make pancakes for them.

He died on December 24th, 2024. His passing is a monumental loss for the world, and we will miss him dearly. His service will be Thursday, January 2nd at Sacred Heart Church at 10:00 AM. Reception to follow immediately at the Dante Club.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Loaves & Fishes, Christian Brothers, or the Sacred Heart School Foundation.