Michael Dominic Del Rosso

Phoenix - Del Rosso, Michael "Mike" D.

of Phoenix, passed away on November 20, 2023 in Scarborough, ME in the company of his family. Born September 30, 1948 in Queens, New York to Patricia and Vito Del Rosso, Mike grew up in Hicksville, Long Island with his younger brothers Robert, Donald and Richard, and his sister Marguerite. He was a superior young athlete who played all sports as well as saxophone and clarinet. Upon high school graduation, Mike enlisted in the Navy, serving two years and ending up in Honolulu, where he was a pilot for the boat that would tour the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. It was there he met his wife of over 40 years, Elizabeth, before returning to her family's home in Phoenix, Arizona, to start his family and begin a 30-year career in radio. His new extended family of Osters played an indelible role in all of their lives up until his final days. His first radio job took him to Parker and Yuma, Arizona at KZUL, and as his family grew, he returned to Phoenix for the remainder of his life. He was a "friendly voice in the middle of your day" at 55 KOY, was there for you to "get up with Mike in the morning" at KBBC, and was a highly-rated disc jockey at K-Lite, and then KEZ, where he was also Program Director. His final radio job would take him to WLIT in Chicago as Program Director. He was the literal face of the advertising for 20/20 Eyecare, among many other voice, print and TV ads. Later in life he was a dedicated school volunteer at Lookout Mountain Elementary School, and even played Jolly Old St. Nick in the Verrado Middle School production of Breakfast with Santa. He was devoted to children and especially babies, with an uncommon patience and inspirational level of empathy. At the top of the list were his two grandchildren, Isabella and Ronan, who he loved dearly. In his final years, his closest companions were his dogs, Juneau and then Percy. He was a prolific reader of books, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of music, having met and interviewed nearly all of the popular adult contemporary musical acts of the 70's, 80's and 90's, including two Beatles. Many were grateful "for the spins." He is survived by his sons Tony and Vinnie, his daughter Anne, brothers Rob and Rich, and his sister Marguerite. The family asks that any interested party make a donation to Lucky Dog Rescue, which rescues dogs off of the euthanasia list of high kill shelters in the Phoenix AZ metro area (http://www.luckydogrescue.org/home) and honors Mike's long commitment to supporting animals in need.