- Date Of Birth: December 29, 1966
- Date Of Death: May 28, 2014
- State: New Jersey
JOHN EMIL CERESO, Esq. 1966 – 2014 John Emil Cereso, Esq. a lawyer and crusader for LGBT rights in Nevada, died in Toms River, N.J., on Wednesday, May 28. He died at 47 from bladder cancer. John was the son of Eleanor Cereso and Palmo Cereso, and brother of Donna Bardi of Toms River, Nancy Lucas of Clifton, N.J., and Dawn Pignatelli of Staten Island, N.Y..
He is survived by his husband, Larry Frankevic-Cereso. John was born on December 29, 1966, in Secaucus, N.J. He graduated from Secaucus High School in 1984 and attended Webster University where he obtained a Bachelor of Management degree, St. Mary’s University for his Masters’ in Arts Administration, and the University of Toledo for his Juris Doctorate. He joined the U.S. Air Force in the final years of the Cold War. A lover of space and science-fiction, he joined Space Command. His primary tour sent him to Clear Air Force Station in Alaska, where he tracked satellites and watched for signs of a surprise Soviet nuclear missile strike coming over the North Pole. As a highly decorated enlisted serviceman, Sergeant Cereso earned honors as his Air Wing’s Airman of the Year.
After the military, John explored careers in arts administration. He served as the house manager for the 4,500-seat Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Mo., and the box office manager for the Detroit Symphony. A trombonist who toured the country with the U.S. Air Force Stars of Sound, he was also a member of the Phi Mu Alpha musical fraternity, and was the treasurer of its educational arm, the Sinfonia Educational Foundation. He recorded and mixed Phi Mu Alpha’s Century of Brotherhood album. After serving in the Air Force, John became a licensed Attorney in Nevada and New Jersey and with the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C. He founded his own practice, The Nevada Law Group, specializing in criminal, family, franchising and LGBT Rights.
His Nevada Law Group practice won early victories for LGBT rights in Nevada: visitation rights for gay men, inheritance rights cases for gay and lesbian domestic partners, and adoption for gay and lesbian couples. He set up legal clinics for low-income individuals and performed pro bono work representing at-risk children in the legal system. He was an active commentator on gay rights court cases, such as the Supreme Court’s 2013 Proposition 8 decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry. “This is a big deal,” he told Las Vegas’s Channel 8 at the time. “Even Justice Scalia, who is as conservative as they come, in his dissent to today’s opinion, predicted that this is going to lead to states being forced to recognize same-sex marriage across the board, over time.”
In 2003, despite a lack of legal recognition in Ohio, he married Larry Frankevic-Cereso at a grand ceremony at the Toledo Art Museum. According to his husband, Cereso’s clients would ask about his “wife and kids,” and he would patiently correct them, saying “well actually, it’s my husband, not my wife.” John described coming out as a lifelong process in an “It Gets Better” video for the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBT youth. In the video he encouraged kids to make the most of their lives, saying, “There’s frankly nothing quite so satisfying as having the kids who used to call you names envy your life today.” Those who knew John, know that family always came first. Putting others before himself was of second nature to him and that is the memory that will be cherished most.
He was a second father to all of his nieces and nephews. Making sure that each and every one knew how special they were to him. John was very dedicated to his family and friends, often taking several vacations throughout the year with his family and friends. Nothing gave him more pleasure than spending time with loved ones in exotic locations. He was often referred to as the “favorite Uncle John.” John was always going that extra mile to ensure that every minute he spent on this Earth, he was doing his part to set an example for those who not only considered him to be a role model, but a true hero. Not a day will pass without someone taking a moment to remember what a special man John was and how their lives have changed for the better just from having known him. Truly, just one of a kind.
