Dr. Michael Alfred Del Vecchio, MD

Dr. Michael A. Del Vecchio, a retired physician, died at Vierra Falls rehabilitation and nursing home in the early morning of Friday, September 6th. He was 82 years old. He spent many years practicing psychiatry and child psychiatry from his private practice in Vienna, Virginia.

He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on November 3rd, 1941, to Alfred and Grace Del Vecchio. His father worked as an appliance repair technician and worked in a torpedo factory during WWII. After the war, he would go into business as a banker. During his childhood, Michael played little league baseball and loved the New York Yankees especially Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle. He claimed that he hit a homerun that went over 400ft which was at the time considered the home run distance record for a little league player. He attended Fairfield Preparatory High School where he played football and excelled academically, graduating a year early in 1959. He went on to attend the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 1963.

Michael was accepted into Georgetown Medical School and completed his studies there in 1967. He continued with his residency at Georgetown and moved into the Northern Virginia area in the late 1970s where he purchased his first home. He then opened his own private practice in 1980 in Vienna where he continued practicing child psychiatry. During this time, he served as President of the Fairfax County Medical Society and taught classes at Georgetown Medical School. He also worked at the old Arlington Hospital, which is where he met his future wife, Andrea, who worked at the hospital as an Occupational Therapist. Michael also served on the Board of Directors at HOPE in Northern Virginia, a pro-life organization.

Micheal and Andrea were married in May 1989 at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church and remained so until his death. They had three children: Luke, Anthony, and Dominic. Michael enjoyed working with the family on their house in McLean doing gardening and other projects with them on the weekends. He also took great interest in his children’s education and would often purchase university video lectures for them to watch together.

In his later years, Michael was plagued by health issues stemming from a degradation of the tissue in his spine. Numerous operations were conducted with mixed results. Having loved his work, he refused to retire until 2022 at the age of 80. His office in Vienna was recently sold after over 40 years. Following retirement, he spent most of his time at home with his wife and family dog. Prior to his death he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. The surgery to remove the tumor was thought to have been successful. Unfortunately, while in rehab at the nursing home he began complaining of abdominal pain. They were going to reassess his need to return to the hospital on Friday the 6th, but he was found unresponsive early that morning.

Michael’s memory will live on in the hearts and minds of his wife and children as well as his friends and patients.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Dr. Michael A. Del Vecchio will be held Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, 6420 Linway Terrace, McLean, VA 22101. Following the Mass of Christian Burial there will be a private family interment at Columbia Gardens Cemetery.