Obituary of Charles Alessi

ALESSI – Charles David, age 87, from Rockville Centre, NY, died Monday, March 30, 2020. Born in Buffalo, NY on October 20, 1932 to Charles and Ida Alessi, he earned an undergraduate degree in education from SUNY Buffalo and masters degrees in school counseling and educational administration from CUNY Queens College and Hofstra University. He began his teaching career in 1951 in the Rockville Centre public schools and married Susan J. Adams in 1958; in 1964 they settled in Rockville Centre. During the 1970s, he designed and developed Greenhouse, the district’s first alternative high school. He was also a marathon runner for 20 years. After his retirement from the public schools in the 1990s, he worked in counseling and academic support roles at the Helen Keller National Center, Lavelle School for the Blind, Long Island University, and Five Towns College. In later years, he volunteered for a local suicide hotline and at the Nassau County Museum of Art. A widower, he is survived by daughters Elysabeth, Mari, Anne and Jane, six grandchildren, and one great grandson. A virtual family wake is planned, followed by a private burial this summer. A separate celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date.