Stefano Carosi passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 in Clinton.

Stefano was born on June 25, 1945 to Silvia and Giovanni Carosi in Florence, Italy.

He moved to the United States in 1973 and settled in Seattle where he worked in the wine industry for more than 35 years, a career he loved.

In 1976, he married Dr. Patrice O’Neill and moved to Whidbey Island where they raised a family.

Stefano loved food, friends and family. He had a passion for Formula 1 racing, classic movies and Italian football.

His favorite club was ACF Fiorentina and he loved being in Italy when they won the World Cup in 2006. He enjoyed attending Seattle Sounder games with his daughter Kathleen, the MotoGP motorcycle races with his son Gianpaolo and many wonderful restaurants with his youngest daughter Christine.

He loved animals, including his dogs, horses and recently adopted cat.

He was a member of the Seattle Sons of Italy for more than 25 years. He had a warm sense of humor and was always ready to share a joke, usually starting with his trademark, “Let me tell you a funny one …” He will be greatly missed.

Instead of flowers, donations to his favorite charities such as the Everett Gospel Mission (www.egmission.org) or WAIF (www.waifanimals.org/) would be greatly appreciated.