He was a master of stone, with the softest of hearts.
Devout Catholic Louie Carnevale, the son of Italian immigrants who at age 21 founded a natural stone contracting company that grew into an industry leader, couldn’t say no to even the poorest of churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Over the past several decades, Carnevale installed new altars and flooring at a steep discount to help renovate cash-starved parishes.
Meanwhile, his company — Carnevale & Lohr Stone, founded in Bell Gardens with best friend Ed Lohr — was working on such iconic LA projects as the Getty Museum and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where Carnevale, who started as a journeyman stonemason in his teens, was eulogized on Jan. 31.
Carnevale, 87, died Jan. 16 in Granada Hills. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 67 years, Jackie, two sons, David and Michael, who now run the company, and scores of other family members, colleagues, and admirers throughout the archdiocese and beyond.
“You cannot walk into this cathedral without touching the soul of this wonderful artist, Louie Carnevale,” Cardinal Roger Mahony said at the funeral Mass. Separately, he told Angelus that Carnevale’s “deep faith and commitment to the Church and our archdiocese was singular.”
It was Cardinal Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011, who commissioned Carnevale, revered as a hands-on craftsman and a businessman with unimpeachable ethics, to design and build the main cathedral altar of the archdiocese’s new home that opened in September 2002.
(Victor Alemán)
And it was Cardinal Mahony who stood on that same altar — crafted from a six-ton slab of Turkish Rosso Laguna marble and fabricated, cut, polished, and shipped from Carrara, Italy — as he fondly recalled Carnevale as a generous businessman with great artistic abilities.
“Both of us had this great sense we were about to build something sacred,” Cardinal Mahony recalled.
He recounted how the altar was so large — 8 feet wide, 10 feet across, and 10 inches thick — that two cranes had to lower it into the cathedral before the roof was installed.
Carnevale was born on July 21, 1937. The youngest of five children, he grew up in South Central LA and Bell.
Young Louie worked summers in the marble shop alongside his father.
“I wanted to do marble since I was 7,” he once recounted. “I just thought it was fascinating to create and build something so beautiful and solid.”
In 1958, just a few years after graduating from Bell High School where he excelled at sports and architectural drafting, Carnevale founded the company with Lohr as equal partners.
That same year, Louie and Jackie got married.
Carnevale & Lohr rapidly developed a reputation in the industry for its meticulous attention to detail and unparalleled artistry.
Carnevale’s philosophy was: “Pretend it’s your own building — think how you would want it done as it’s yours and do it that way.”
The business partners were inseparable. Carnevale and Lohr drove the same type of trucks and had the same art and fine china in their homes.
In his eulogy, David Carnevale said his father’s countless good works have been rewarded with everlasting life.
“I attribute this to his deep religious convictions and belief in the principle that success in life begins with honesty, trust, and respect,” David said.
“But for him,” he continued, “even greater than [his accomplishments] was his belief in family — family was everything to him. He never spoke of his accomplishments … but those of his family. He never bragged about his stature or wealth or possessions but instead he did brag about being a husband, a father, an uncle, a cousin, a grandfather.”
David said his father told him his success could not have been achieved without Jackie.
Bishop Spyridon of Amastris, pastor emeritus of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge, also spoke at Carnevale’s funeral.
He recalled when, in 1966, Carnevale and Lohr came to bid on the stone and marble work at the parish.
“After negotiating and handshaking, Louie lingered,” the bishop recalled. “A friendship was formed, and it was founded on a tremendous amount of love. It came from the heart.”
Cardinal Mahony recalled how Carnevale, in Turkey to watch the slab of marble being prepared for shipment, became saddened that the non-Christian workers had no idea it would become the cathedral altar.
“It wasn’t just rock to Louie,” Cardinal Mahony said.
After the marble was blessed in Italy, Carnevale smiled.
“It gladdens my heart to see the block of rock groomed to be an altar, and here it stands today for all time,” he told Cardinal Mahony.
The cardinal recounted a conversation he and Carnevale had about needy parishes.
“We have this really poor church that can’t afford to do anything, and they need help,” Cardinal Mahony said.
“Let me take a look,” Carnevale said.
“They don’t have much money.”
“They’ll get a bill they’ll be happy with.”
Cardinal Mahony asked him how he could swing that.
“Ever hear of Robin Hood?” Carnevale responded. “Wealthy churches will pay a bit more to pay for improvements to smaller churches.”
“Brilliant,” Cardinal Mahony said. “God will love you for that.”
Carnevale was honored with the Marble Institute of America’s Migliore Award in 2008 for his lifetime achievements.
In 2010, he received the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Cardinal’s Award.
Carnevale had fond memories of meeting St. Pope John Paul II and getting to know countless priests, nuns, and fellow laypeople while working on numerous construction and refurbishing projects at parishes, convents, and other religious institutions throughout the state.
His other survivors include his grandchildren, Nico and Luca; his nephew, Steve; and his grandniece and nephew, Taylor and Roman.
David reminded the congregants of his father’s philosophy in life and business:
“I have always believed you are who you are associated with.”
Source: Angelus News
