Dr Richard DiDonato

Dr. D, Richard, Rich, Pop-Pop, Pasta Man. Regardless of the name by which you know him, Louis Richard DiDonato was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus on July 14, 2026, in the comfort of his home and loved ones in Cary, NC.

Rich was born in Bloomfield, NJ, on January 10, 1939, to Gaetano (Tom) and Angelina (Pezzullo) and often shared fond memories of living next door to his dearly beloved cousins. He was always studious and his curiosity and love of learning spanned a lifetime, starting at Seton Hall Prep in NJ, and then in 1960, he graduated magna cum laude from University of Notre Dame with a major in Biology and History. Next stop was medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, from which he graduated–also magna cum laude–with the class of 1964. The highlight of those four years was meeting the beautiful Judy Brown, whom he married shortly after graduation. The newlyweds then moved to Cleveland for Rich’s internship. From there, they moved to Baltimore, where Rich did his residency in Radiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

El Paso briefly served as home, where Rich worked at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center as an Army physician. By the time they left in 1971, he was the proud father of four young children: Rick, Kim, Guy and Stacia and wore the rank of Major in the US Army. His career then took him and his family to Albany, NY where he worked at Memorial Hospital until 1977.

Huntingdon, PA, became the doctor’s final stop on his career path, where he served at JC Blair Memorial Hospital. His decades there saw him rise from diagnostic radiologist to Chief of Staff. While in Huntingdon, Rich and Judy were active members of their church, including prison ministries and Cursillo. In 1996, Rich retired, but continued his love of radiology by doing short-term assignments throughout the country. Their children grown, Rich and Judy soon split their time between the hills of Pennsylvania and the warmth and family of Hollywood, Florida, until they moved to their home in Cary, NC, in 2004 to be close to all their children and growing families.

With all the stress that comes with being a medical doctor, it might be tempting to think that Rich was all work and no play. But you’d be wrong. He didn’t earn the nickname Pasta Man by reading X-rays. Ask any one of his children what stands out most in the memories of their dad, and they would all say the same thing: his love of family and food. The two are so entwined, because for Rich, food was love. He learned to cook from his mother and grandmother, and loved to share his creations with family, friends and community. Every person who walked through their front door left feeling welcomed and loved.

Every year, for 46 years, Rich took his family to Ocean City, NJ with 100+ family members. This was the highlight of every summer, for parents and especially his kids and grandkids. Rich loved exercise, and many family vacations were spent skiing, from Colorado and Utah to New York and Vermont and anywhere in between. Finally, Pops enjoyed running, and when he couldn’t run, he walked, including circles in his house or in the hospital parking lot over lunch breaks.

No discussion of Rich would be complete without mentioning his passion for Notre Dame football. Like many ND grads and families of graduates, he followed them faithfully and was overjoyed when his two sons became Domers.

Though he retired from medicine more than 30 years before his death, Rich never stopped studying health and wellness. In addition to exercising his body daily, he was extremely knowledgeable of natural supplements before they were trendy. He was truly a man before his time when it came to nutrition and healthy eating. His holistic view of the body as a system put him more in line with naturopathy before alternative medicine was popular. Perhaps his adherence to this view is what allowed him to live decades beyond what his doctor foretold when he replaced his aortic valve in 1982.

In addition to Judy and their four children and their respective spouses (Rebecca Valentine, John Dailey, Eva DiDonato, Gary Breit), sister Mary, brother Joe, Pop-Pop leaves behind 15 beloved grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many cousins and friends. Richard was preceded in death by many he cherished especially Dr. Thomas DiDonato, Dr. Daniel Diana, Mary DiDonato, Joey DiDonato, Thelma and Robert Brown, Robert Brown Jr. and Don Brown.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on August 7 at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Apex, NC, 625 Magdala Place, Apex, NC 27502.

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