Kenneth M. Calestro

Kenneth M. Calestro, age 72, passed away on August 14, one day after he and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He was born on June 2, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Elsie and Wilson Calestro. Ken spent his entire career as a mental health professional, a clinician who dedicated his life to helping children who were, as he described them, “sad or mad.” He instituted many reforms as a program director in child and adolescent psychiatry, including creating a child-centered environment for children and a handbook to help them understand and take control of their illnesses. His goal was to give all children a chance for a happy childhood. OSU co-workers describe him as a wonderful listener and mentor, someone who cared not only about patients, but about his staff’s well-being. He saw them not just as employees, but as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, students and experts, gifted in many ways. In addition to the healing arts, he was a man of many talents. He enjoyed music, drawing and painting, and theatre. He wrote music, played the autoharp, and sang in choirs throughout his life and nurtured those interests in his children. He will also be remembered for his creativity and expertise in the kitchen, preparing meals for his friends and family. He was a fan of Manchester United and EPL soccer. Ken had a wry sense of humor, which often appeared at unexpected times, both in his home and at work. Ken was a voracious reader, with a particular interest in history. Having grown up in New England, he was especially knowledgeable about Colonial history. Ken and his family loved to travel. Favorite vacation locales included the Outer Banks, Sandbridge Beach, Egypt, London, Rome, Prague, Budapest, Paris, and Switzerland. Ken did his undergraduate and graduate work at Duke University and Vanderbilt University, respectively. He is survived by Peggy, his wife of fifty years; daughter and son-in-law, Julie Calestro and Jerry McDonald; son, Brady, and Karen Vujnovic and her daughters, Ana and Ella. Ken is also survived by his sister, Eileen Waldman and Ken Kruse, and their children, Jeremy, Ginny, and Paul; his brother, Billy Calestro and Margo Ackerman, and his son Hunter; brother-in-law, Mark Plant; sister-in-law, Nancy Plant, and George Jarecke and their daughter, Kate; and brother-in-law, Gordon Gallagher and his family. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 18, at RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME, 515 High Street in Worthington. A luncheon will follow at noon at Mozart’s, 4784 N. High Street.

Kenneth M. Calestro

June 2, 1946 - August 14, 2018