Eugene Joseph Olmi Jr.

Alexandria – Eugene “Gene” Joseph Olmi Jr passed away peacefully on Thursday July 22, 2021. Gene was born on March 6, 1925 in Philadelphia, PA, the only child of the late Eugene Joseph Olmi Sr and the late Helen Jones Olmi. Gene lived a remarkable and full life. Raised in Alexandria, he attended George Washington High School and in Feb 1943 enlisted in the Coast Guard to serve during World War II. Following initial deployment to Elizabeth City, NC, he later served on the USS Wakefield as a gunner’s mate first class, crossing the North Atlantic many times. His time spent in the Coast Guard instilled in Gene a keen passion for being on and respecting the water. Following the war, Gene joined his father on the Olmi Realty and Construction team, designing and building communities that remain vital and vibrant, including Belle Haven, Belle View Shopping Center, and the Belle View apartments. He managed the Belleview Apartments for thirty years. At the center of Belle Haven is Ft. Willard Circle which the family donated to the Fairfax County Park Authority. Gene had deep roots in the Alexandria community, and he dug them deeper through his service on community boards and associations. Gene founded the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, and served on many community and business organizations, including the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Board, and the Alexandria Key Man Club. Gene also founded the Fairfax County Valor Awards program of Uniformed Public Safety Personnel and was a founding member and board member of Fairfax County Crime Solvers. Gene was known to plaster his vehicle with law enforcement decals in hopes that a driving violation would be waived. Gene also ventured into the banking business when he founded the People’s Bank and Trust Company of Fairfax where he served as director and vice president, and later, he served as a director of the Dominion Bank of Northern Virginia. Gene was the proud holder of the Coast Guard Mariner License which he utilized after he retired as principal broker of the Olmi Realty Company. Gene saw a need on Alexandria’s surrounding waterways for a boat rescue operation, so he established the Potomac River Rescue & Recovery Corporation and was one of the first operators for Tow Boat US. Gene captained the boats and regaled his family and friends with stories of river rescues. He became known as The Captain to many who knew him during his tenure as the Commodore of Tantallon Yacht Club; Cappy to his grandchildren. Gene was predeceased by his first wife Natalie Lyon Olmi, to whom he was wed 44 years.. He was forever grateful to have discovered love again when he partnered with Nanita Castillo Olmi whom he married in 1996. Nita and her family have been amazing and loving caretakers to Gene during his elder years. In addition to his wife, Gene is survived by his daughter Natalie Sutherland Olmi of Atlanta, GA; son Eugene J Olmi III (Marilyn Oberg-Olmi) of Charleston, SC; grandchildren Christine McPhee Stewart (Joshua) of Raleigh, NC; Helen Olmi-Graham (Patrick) of Ocean Springs, MS; and Eugene Joshua Olmi of Charleston, SC; and two great grandchildren Theodore Stewart and Annie Stewart. Service will be held at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 South Washington Street, Alexandria VA, Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 10:30 AM. An interment at the Mount Comfort Cemetery to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be directed to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or Ducks Unlimited.