Caesar Fontana

A remarkable and well-loved Ithacan passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 10, 2023. The son
of the late Alfredo and Maria Fontana, Caesar Fontana was born in Ithaca, NY on July 29, 1930. He was
93 years old.
Growing up in Ithaca in the 1940’s Caesar enjoyed scouting, hunting, fishing and developed a lifelong
love for the outdoors. After graduating from Ithaca High School, he proudly served in the U.S. Army from
1950 to 1953

Caesar was known for his decades of service to the Ithaca and Cornell University communities as the
owner of Fontana’s Shoes “on Eddy Street in Collegetown, since before you were born”. In 1965, he took
a big gamble and expanded a small family shoe repair shop to create a successful retail business,
Fontana’s Shoes, that continues to thrive to this very day.
His 1970’s “mid-life crisis” manifested itself in the building of a log cabin on his 23-acre woodlot
adjacent to Hammond Hill State Forest in Dryden, where he enjoyed cross-country skiing, bottle
collecting and exploring old logging trails in his 1973 Jeep.
Following his retirement in 1981, he enjoyed a second career as an Ithaca Farmers Market vendor,
selling his handmade crafts and hobnobbing with friends and former customers.  He continued, for
years, to make ‘little houses’ and handmade crafts, gifting them to those he loved. After a few years of
snow birding to Nevada, in 2003 he relocated to Henderson, NV with his partner Kaaren Hoback.

Known as a man with a big heart, he never missed a chance to share a story or help someone in need.
Caesar left behind a legacy of love and laughter that will be cherished by all who knew him.
He was predeceased by his wife of 21 years, Lillian Fontana, with whom he raised five children in a
loving and often chaotic home on South Hill in Ithaca and at the family cottage on Cayuga Lake. Caesar
was also predeceased by his long-time partner of 33 years Kaaren Hoback and by his sister Esther
Fontana.
He is survived by five children, Steve (Carla) Fontana, Bob (Molly) Fontana, Chris (Cindy) Fontana, Tom
(Linda) Fontana and Lynn (David) Fontana-Maisel; ten grandchildren, Cady (Cap) Fontana, Anne Fontana,
Elizabeth Fontana, Mike (Heather) Fontana, Jessie Fontana-Maisel, Dave Fontana, Renee Fontana, Max
Fontana, Jake Fontana and Brenna O’Brien; and five great grandchildren.
The Fontana family would like to express a special thanks to the wonderful staff at Cayuga Nursing and
Rehab in Ithaca, who added so much to the last few months of Caesar’s life. They are truly angels on
earth.

A celebration of Caesar’s life will be held in 2024, on a date to be announced. Any donations to honor
Caesar’s life should go to the Baden Powell Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an organization that
Caesar participated in and loved dearly.