Paul W. Arcari

Paul was born in Manchester, Connecticut on August 7, 1932 to Paul and Viola Arcari. He graduated with a degree in history from Trinity College in Connecticut and was inducted into their football hall of fame. He was one credit shy of an MBA from George Washington University due to (uncharacteristically!) turning in a final paper late.

He was a family man, married to Teresa (Keffer) Arcari for 47 years and with six beloved children. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who cherished summer trips to the beach and hunting trips in the Fall where he got to spend time with his family. Only once, after 32 years of hunting, did he shoot a deer.

Paul had many accomplishments over the years, retiring as a Colonel in the Air Force in 1985 after 30 years of service and then going on to work at his beloved The Retired Officers Association (TROA) for another 15 years (now MOAA), followed by many more years of volunteer work at the National Military Family Association.

A navigator in the Air Force, Paul taught ROTC at Dartmouth, flew C-130s in the Philippines and Vietnam and then went to Washington in 1968 to work at the Pentagon. When he was Chief of the Entitlements Division for the Air Force, his boss once described him as “a rare combination of incisive analyst, charismatic leader, persuasive communicator, resourceful manager, and pure humanist.” A journalist once noted that he was “a congenial sort whose easy manner belies an efficiency that allows him to cover more ground in an hour than most people could in a day.” Speaking of covering ground, he flew more than 4,400 hours on world-wide missions and flew 418 combat missions in Vietnam. He also knew mile markers on the Maryland and VA highways like the back of his hand.

Upon his retirement from TROA, his boss at the time wrote that “it is not the slightest exaggeration to assert that...he has touched the lives – and livelihoods – of every service member, every retiree, every family member, every survivor and every veteran since he arrived the Pentagon in 1969.” No matter what the issue related to compensation (equitable healthcare for military retirees, pay raises for active duty, survivor benefits for widows of military service-members, etc.), Paul was involved in it. One of the most noted accomplishments was his role in shepherding TRICARE for Life through Congress. In addition to these successes, he mentored, led, and trained teams of advocates to fight for causes they believe in, for the benefit of our country.

Paul was a cigar connoisseur, chocolate lover, longtime Redskins fan, and Blue Bloods and Law & Order enthusiast. He loved his family dearly, was cherished by and loyal to his friends, and was generous to a fault.

Paul is survived by his wife, Teresa, his son and daughter-in law Craig and Debra Arcari, son and daughter-in law David and Janice Arcari, daughter Annie Gonzalez, daughter Courtney Lenarduzzi, son Christian Arcari, and daughter and son-in-law Jocelyn and Louis Stone with their son Zachary Paul, as well as beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Paul was loved by many and will be greatly missed. A private viewing will be held at Demaine Funeral Home in Alexandria, VA, on Thursday, December 10th and a Funeral Mass will be held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, VA, on Friday, December 11th at 10AM. Burial is expected to be in the spring of 2021 at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to one of the following organizations that were special to Paul, or to a charity of your choice:

Air Force Enlisted Village: https://www.afev.us/

Military Officers Association of America Scholarship Fund: www.moaa.org/DonateNow

The National Military Family Association: www.militaryfamily.org