John Caffrey Angell

John Caffrey Angell, beloved husband, father, uncle, and friend, died February 12, 2026 in Arlington, VA, after a long struggle with chronic pain and depression. He was 72. At a time when it is fashionable to denigrate those who dedicate their lives to public service, John’s life stands as a shining example of the very best.

He was born in Santa Monica, California to Margaret and Jim Angell, but they soon moved to Washington, DC where he grew up in Alexandria and Bethesda. He graduated from Churchill High School, where he ran cross country and the 800 in track. After graduation from Pomona College and Loyola Law School, John returned to Washington and began his career on Capitol Hill.

He loved being a Hill staffer, serving as staff director of the House Budget Committee under Chairman Leon Panetta, and truth be told he was sad to leave to continue staffing Leon at OMB and the White House under President Bill Clinton. John never had any interest in the trappings of power—he just wanted to do the work. His steady, dogged focus was critical to the success of the 1993 Deficit Reduction Act, which he was proud to say produced a balanced budget by 1997. He served as Assistant Secretary of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Energy, and was very glad to return to the Hill as Staff Director of the Senate Finance Committee. There, he coordinated the response to the 2001 Bush economic plan.

During this time, John was exposed to anthrax in the 2001 attack, and took the recommended dose of Cipro. It severely damaged his Achilles tendons and caused him immense pain and disability, which in the last year of his life flared up and became debilitating both mentally and physically. After his initial injury in 2001, he returned to the Senate Finance Committee as a Senior Advisor, where he worked on federal budget and economic issues while leading the Committee’s investigation and oversight staff.

For the last 10 years, he was an adjunct professor at the George Washington School of Political Management. John was smart, kind, funny, and a fiercely loving husband to Martha and father to Sarah. He was a mentor to young staffers and students, and a joy to his office mates. He loved sailing on Lake Charlevoix, laughing with Martha and Sarah, watching Sarah run track and advising her on race strategy, hiking, being outdoors, playing very good tennis, going to the National Arboretum in the spring and criticizing the Commanders and the Wizards. John loved our family dog, Beastie, even though he wasn’t sure at first about getting a dog. He was always the instigator of the family tradition of burning bananas (using plenty of lighter fluid) to the delight of all children in the vicinity.

John is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Martha Casey, and his beloved daughter Sarah Angell and her boyfriend, Ben Senator. He is also survived by his siblings and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors, and dear friends.

We will never stop missing him.

There will be a funeral mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington on Thursday, February 26 at 11 am. Friends and family are invited to arrive at 10:30 for fellowship in the church prior to the mass. Private interment will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the National Arboretum https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/friends-of-the-national-arboretum/tribute---angell or the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace. To donate to the food pantry, please follow this link https://giving.myparishsoft.io//app/giving/FD-271?tab=home and select “Give Now” and then “OLQP Food Pantry” from the list.

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen