Frank A. DiMatteo

On January 27, 2023, Frank A. DiMatteo peacefully passed away just shy of his 100th birthday. He was surrounded by his wife of 59 years and his three children Gia, Guy and Louise. In classic fashion, Frank waited for his youngest to fly across the country so his family could be together. From his birth on May 25, 1923, in Guardia Lombardi, Italy to his passing in Falls Church, Virginia, Frank lived a full and extraordinary life. Military service and WWII sent him across the country and around the globe to the South Pacific. Work took him to Vietnam, Labrador, Manila, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and China, where he built buildings, roads, bridges, schools, power plants, dams and desalination plants. He fled fascism in Italy when he was a child and became a patriot of his newly adopted country, risking his life to defend the United States in WWII. After graduating from Oklahoma University with a civil engineering degree, he used his profession to help the global community, in private industry, with the State Department, the Corps of Engineers and the Agency for International Development. Like so many of The Greatest Generation, Frank was a dependable neighbor and friend; willing to roll up his sleeves and do whatever was needed. Everyone loved him and always commented on his congeniality and caring nature. Frank was humble and had a quiet dignity. Even with his many achievements and experiences in life, he didn’t brag or boast. In fact, unless you knew him for a long time, you wouldn’t know he’d survived two weeks on a life raft in the Pacific, that he’d managed billions in development funds or was on a first name basis with the Premier of the People’s Republic of China. He was just Frank, your neighbor, your friend. Most importantly, he was a devoted son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He was committed to his parents Guy and Luigia and his sisters Antoinette and Helen – he kept so many important memories of life in Italy and in Mt. Vernon, New York. He cherished his wife Gina and his three children, Gia, Guy and Louise, his granddaughter Maddie and his son-in-law Mike and insisted on spending Sunday dinners with his family all together. His pride in his children and granddaughter shone and he loved attending their graduations, performances, tournaments and ceremonies as though he was participating himself. Frank loved life and he believed in people and the promise of a life well lived. He will be missed.