Local obituary: Morris ‘Morry’ Casso, 108, oldest known WWII veteran in Mass.

Morry Casso, 108, of Canton, MA and formerly Sharon and Roxbury, passed peacefully on November 16, 2025, after an incredible, long life well lived.

Morry was a jokester and loved to make people smile. He told hundreds of stories, many in the first person, and the family never knew if he was joking or not. Like how his mother, a Russian Jewish immigrant, called him “Bubbeleh” so much that it wasn’t until his first day of school, at the age of 5, that he learned his name was Morris. That was dad.

Born in Roxbury on January 28, 1917, Morry was the son of the late Sadie and David Casso, Russian immigrants, who made a new life for themselves in America, settling in Roxbury where Morry lived his formative years along with his sisters Bessie and Shirley and his brother Sam. The family was incredibly close. Family was always the center of Morry’s life. Morry graduated from Roxbury Memorial High School for Boys in 1934 and began working for Casson Brothers, his father’s dry cleaning/tailor shop at the corner of Marlboro and Mass Ave in Boston. Morry took over the store when his father was ill and remained there, with just a break for a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II, until he retired at the age of 65 in 1982. His regular customers ranged from Henry Kissinger and John Updike to the man or woman down the street – and he treated everyone the same way, with kindness, patience, and a good joke or story. There were several other shops like his not far away, but folks kept coming back to Casson Brothers. In part, just to see him.

In 1942, a few months after Pearl Harbor, Morry enlisted in the U.S. Army which began an adventure unlike any other. After completing basic training at Fort Devens, he was assigned to the United States Army Signal Corps where he became part of a small, elite specialist group that were sent to Lee De Forest Laboratories in Chicago to learn about the new Audion Vacuum Tube, a device capable of amplifying and modulating electromagnetic signals in the transmission of radio frequency signals. He embarked on a Liberty Ship for North Africa that took 20 days, and then continued through the Suez Canal to Bombay, India. He was then transported to New Delhi and a Signal Corps headquarters was set up for the China/Burma Air Theater for the Army Air Corps where his unit was responsible for establishing safe frequencies channels for their aircraft.

Morry was curious about his new surroundings which he chronicled through photographs with witty descriptions on the back. One time, while on furlough, he decided to visit a local Leper colony. Not your typical tourist spot. But that was dad. He enjoyed traveling throughout India, meeting the locals and taking in what he could. He even learned a little Hindustani, likely so he could tell jokes in their language.

After leaving the service in early 1946, Morry returned to work for his father until his dad passed away. Morry retired in 1982 but he never really stopped working. Always trying to help people less fortunate, Morry spent several years as a Massachusetts Ombudsman who worked with the elderly at area nursing homes trying to resolve their problems. He also spent nearly 20 years volunteering at the New England Sinai Hospital, in Stoughton, where he put a smile on people’s faces three times a week. He was also an active member of the Knights of Pythias and the Sharon Men’s Club for many years. He also served as President of B’nai B’rith. In 1947, Morry was set up on a blind date and met his first wife, Rose. They were married on January 6, 1949. They had two sons, Mark and Alan. After 36 years of a wonderful marriage, Rose passed away in 1985.

In 1993, Morry met the second love of his life, Bernice “Niecy” Karlsberg. Morry and Niecy’s children, Alan and Ilene, actually set them up! The two quickly became friends and companions (and more) and were married on November 23, 2001. They had 24 years of marital bliss full of laughter and love and were happy to have found love and companionship of equal splendor the second time around. They lived together in Sharon for many years before moving to Brightview Senior Living in Canton in September of 2022.

Morry is survived by his wife, Bernice; his sons, Mark Casso and his wife Beth of Foxboro and Alan Casso of Sharon; his stepchildren, Mark Karlsberg and his wife Linda of Newton and Ilene Karlsberg-Gerstein and her husband Bill Gerstein of Clermont, Florida. Together, Morry and Niecy have 9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and many more family and friends who love him dearly.

A cancer survivor, at the time of his death, Morry was the oldest man in Massachusetts, its oldest living military veteran, and the 15^th oldest man in the United States.

A funeral service at Schlossberg Family’s Chapel in Canton, burial at the Crawford Street Memorial Park in West Roxbury, and shiva at locations in Sharon and Foxboro took place last week.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Morry’s name can be made to The American Cancer Society, PO Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD  21741.

This local obituary is published via Legacy.com and Schlossberg Family’s Chapel on the Hill. Want a loved one’s obituary featured on Boston.com? Submit your obituary here, or email it to [email protected].