10/28/36 - 2/20/2020

DiMauro, Alfred was the seventh of nine DiMauro children, Al was preceded in death by his parents, Fanny and Sam; sisters, Esther, Louise and Catherine; brothers, Sebastian, Andrew, Samuel, Luciano. He is survived by his brother, Michael (Sandi); numerous nieces and nephews.

Al was a graduate of Cathedral High School, received a Bachelors of Arts from Creighton University, and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Loyola University in Chicago. Throughout his illustrious and award winning career in education, he never lost his enthusiasm for being in the classroom. In 1984, he received Nebraska's highest honor in education by being named Teacher of the Year. Al was an international play actor and director and performed in productions in Rome, Spain, England and Bulgaria. At the Omaha Community Playhouse, he portrayed the ghost of Marley for over 20 twenty years in "A Christmas Carol" and received the Fonda McGuire award in 1978. His love of teaching was overshadowed only by his love of travel.

MEMORIAL VISITATION: 5-7pm Thursday, Feb 27th

FUNERAL MASS: 10am Friday, Feb 28th. Both services at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 2110 S 32nd Ave, Omaha. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Alzheimer's Association.

ARBOR CREMATION SOCIETY 2819 S 125th Ave, Ste 367 Omaha NE 68144 | 402-393-0319

Former Omaha teacher Al DiMauro remembered as lover of Latin and the arts

By Kevin Cole / World-Herald staff writer

Bags of mail from former students brightened the last years of Alfred “Al” DiMauro as he slipped into the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease, a niece said.

“When he was in the Alzheimer’s unit, Al would get bags and bags of mail from his former students and teachers writing from all over the country,” Omahan Beth Carollo said. “I know that it made him feel so good to know that the kids never forgot him.”

DiMauro, 83, died Feb. 20 at a nursing facility. An Omaha native, he was the seventh of nine children born to Italian immigrants. He graduated from Cathedral High School and was the only child in the family to go to college, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and a master’s from Loyola University Chicago.

He went on to have a distinguished career as a teacher of English, Latin and the humanities, winning the Nebraska Teacher of the Year award in 1984. DiMauro began teaching at North High in the 1960s and then moved to Northwest High before retiring from the Omaha Public Schools in 1995.

A year later, Marian High sought out DiMauro to take over its Latin program. He would commit to only “two or three years,” but he stayed 18, retiring in 2013.

Megan Han, who graduated from Marian in 2013, took four years of Latin classes. She credits DiMauro with inspiring her to become a teacher.

“Mr. D was an inspiration to my classmates and me. He had more worldly knowledge than anyone I’ve ever encountered,” Han said. “We learned so much on a daily basis about Latin, history and about life. He cared so sincerely about each of us and who we would become.”

The theater was another passion for DiMauro, who performed in and directed productions in Italy, Spain, England and Bulgaria. At the Omaha Community Playhouse, he portrayed the ghost of Jacob Marley in “A Christmas Carol” for more than 20 years. He received the playhouse’s Fonda McGuire Award in 1978.

His love of teaching was perhaps overshadowed only by his love of travel, and he made many trips to Europe. One day, as DiMauro was leading family members through a museum, an elderly couple tapped Carollo on the shoulder and asked how they could sign up for a guided tour.

“I think that he was most happy when he was sharing and teaching,” Carollo said. “He knew it. He loved it. He shared it.”

Other survivors include a brother, Michael DiMauro of Great Falls, Montana.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 2110 S. 32nd Ave. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association.