Dante Salvatore Marinari Jr.

Dante Salvatore Marinari, Jr., 77, peacefully passed away on July 7, 2024, in Clinton, MD after battling cancer. Dante (Dan) was born on April 21, 1947, in Anacostia, Washington D.C. to Dante Sr. and Rose (Smith) Marinari, as the eldest of four children. He graduated from Gonzaga College High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland. Dan served in the National Guard, and went on to have a long and successful engineering career at Bechtel and Constellation Energy, notably helping to build and later operate Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.
In 1967, he married the love of his life, Gloria (McCall), whom he adored. They later had two children, Dante III (Karen) and Brian (Carolyn), along with three grandchildren, Abigail, Lilianna, and Giovani. He was a devoted and doting husband, father, and grandfather. There were few things that brought him as much joy as spending time with his family in his retirement years, and the grandchildren loved their "Poppi" dearly. He remained close with his sisters Randie, Angie (David), Sue (Edward), and Margy throughout his life, and they shared the duty of taking care of his elderly mother Rose until her passing in 2022.
Dante, or "Matsie," loved to laugh, and always had a joke or a story to entertain. He loved doo- wop music, cars, trips to Disney World, and Washington area sports. He gave an endless number of humorous nicknames to those close to him and showered them with gifts on birthdays and Christmas. He was a man of many talents, interests, and passions, with a driving thirst for knowledge. He enjoyed reading about quantum physics or string theory and watching history documentaries about World War II. Some of his favorite hobbies included working on his Lionel toy trains which he had since he was a kid, converting his old pictures and slides to digital files, coin collecting, and carpentry projects. He was always seen at gatherings with his camera or camcorder recording the family, because he so desperately savored each moment with his family, and captured all of them as best he could.
Relatives and friends are invited to gather on Tuesday, July 16th from 5-8PM at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory: 6160 Oxon Hill Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Wednesday, July 17th at 11:30AM at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church: 8908 Old Branch Ave Clinton, MD 20735. A full obituary will be posted when available.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for cancer research.
https://www.stjude.org/give/cancer-donations.html