Carl J. Fera

Carl J. Fera, age 63, died Monday, October 18, 2021, with his daughter by his side, holding his hand.

He was born on June 27, 1958, in La Crosse, WI, the fourth of five siblings born to Gerald Fera and Mary Lou Kaufman O’Connell. He lived most of his life in the Rochester area.

Carl was a skilled auto body repair technician and mechanic, with a steady hand and a keen eye for detail. He was a veteran of the United States Navy. He loved woodworking, and evident in each piece he crafted was his balance of artistry, precision, and creativity. Carl enjoyed fishing, especially when he was joined by people he loved. He cared a lot about making tools and furniture adaptive to people’s needs and was always coming up with ideas for things he could build to help people.

Carl was a lifelong learner and worked hard to keep himself open to growing and changing as he learned. One of his favorite things to think and talk about in the last few years of his life was the peace and hope he found in the idea of grace. Carl’s foundation was his faith in Jesus and his message of love.

Carl became Grandpa Carl early in 2020. He found so much joy in just watching his granddaughter play, sitting patiently as she brought him little collections of treasures, one rock or leaf or flower at a time. He was a loving father who made such an effort to show how much he cared in whatever ways he could, even into his final days and hours on this earth. He didn’t always know how to tell people how much they meant to him, but his desk and keepsake boxes full of all the special letters, cards, and photos that he had kept over the years and decades from his daughter, parents, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews, and friends speak volumes about the things that mattered to him.

Carl was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald and Mary Lou, step-parents Bob and Laura, his brother Mark Fera, sister Tammy Piccolo, and his brother-in-law Matt Piccolo. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Danielle and Luke Klingensmith, and his granddaughter, Piper Joy; his sisters and brothers-in-law, Geri and John Heale, and Linda and Gary Donofrio; his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Fera; and his nieces, nephews, and other loved ones.

There will be no prior calling hours. Family and friends are invited to attend his Memorial Service in the Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, Inc., 21 West Avenue-Albion, SATURDAY at 1pm. Interment will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Supportive Care of Orleans, P.O. Box 489, Albion, NY 14411. To share a special memory of Carl, please visit: www.mitchellfamilyfuneralhomes.com