Guido R. Schiavi

The game of life ended with a win for Guido R. Schiavi on March 25, 2026. Born at his parents' home in Buffalo, NY on September 9, 1926, Guido was the only son of accomplished Italian immigrant, Vincent Schiavi of Morolo, IT, and Rose Capone of Glens Falls, NY. Their small family included Guido's older sister Laura (Kelley). (His oldest sister, Mary, died shortly after birth.) His father's general contracting business grew to include substantial projects from upstate New York to Washington, DC. So, in 1934, the family moved to a brand-new home on Washington Street in Wilmington, DE. They were members of Christ Our King Catholic church.

Guido matured as a young man at Salesianum School at 8th and West. After attaining varsity letters in basketball and six-man tackle football (there was no eleven-man football at the time), Guido graduated in 1944 and was drafted by the US Army to fight in the Pacific with the 7th Infantry Division. Guido was stationed on Okinawa as part of the planned invasion of Japan but, fortunately for him and all of us, the war ended three weeks shy of his 19th birthday. Guido spent the remainder of his Army service in Seoul, Korea, where he ended his tour of duty as part of the commanding General's Military Police platoon.

Guido returned to Wilmington in 1946. With home field advantage secured, Guido proceeded to notch up win after win - none more important than meeting and marrying the love of his life, Theresa Ann Grant.

During a social at VFW Post Atterbury Hall, Guido convinced his friend, Herbie Eisenman, to dance with a beautiful, blue-eyed, Irish girl so Guido could slyly "cut in" and introduce himself. After asking, "How about a date on Saturday?" she responded, "I have a date." Guido then asked, "How about next Saturday?" She said, "I'm busy then, too." Guido thought, "Geez! Three strikes and I'm out!" So, Guido steeled his nerve and tried one last time, "How about the Saturday after that?" to which she responded simply, "OK."

Guido and Theresa married on Valentine's Day, 1953.

The new family raised their first six boys at their home on Geddes Street in Union Park Gardens before they moved to Cordon Road in Blue Rock Manor for the birth of their first girl and the rest of their ten children.

The family were members of St. Mary Magdalen parish. Guido and Theresa always felt blessed that they could afford 12 years of Catholic education for each of their children. All the boys graduated from Salesianum School and the two girls graduated from Padua Academy. Seven of their children graduated from the University of Delaware. One daughter graduated from Philadelphia University. And one son graduated from Davidson College, where he earned a football scholarship.

Guido struggled early to establish his career. While Theresa stayed in Wilmington to care for their growing family, Guido took jobs in Delaware City, Baltimore, MD, and New Orleans, LA before he scored steady work in Wilmington with the James Julian and Greggo & Ferrara construction companies. Guido took advantage of the GI Bill to earn his bachelor's degree, and later his MBA, from the University of Delaware. He was a recipient of the school's Lerner "Fabulous 50" MBA Alumni Award in 2004. Guido finished his career as a Sr. Budget and Procedures Analyst in the New Castle County government.

Upon retirement, Guido and Theresa took the opportunity to travel throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, including trips to their ancestral homes of Italy and Ireland.

Theresa was a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother who worked part-time to help support the Catholic education of their ten children. She also volunteered and somehow managed their hectic household.

When Theresa passed away in 2018, Guido's heart was broken. At the time, he was the rare 92-year-old to leave an assisted care facility to live on his own.

No story of Guido Schiavi would be complete without mentioning some of his sporting accomplishments. He was an All-Star in the Eastern Shore (Seaford and Laurel) Basketball League. His team was runner up in the Junior State Basketball Tournament at the Wilmington Central YMCA in 1944. Then, as player-manager of the Hanover Athletic Club, his team won the Senior State Championship at the YMCA in 1947 (despite being the bottom seed). Guido was a key player for Christ Our King in the CYO Major Basketball League for seven years until the league disbanded in 1953. He has been known to tell young players, "Make your foul shots!" This came from experience. Guido was the Wilmington Metropolitan Foul Shooting Champion in 1951.

Guido surprised the crowd when, at 80 years-old, he made a long distance shot for the Salesianum alumni against the St. Mark's alumni at the beginning of a "B+" fund raiser.

Guido was a constant presence at the Wilmington Central YMCA. He would be seen running on the track, playing handball and basketball on the courts, and was a onetime "Volunteer of the year." He was the first person to run over 1,000 miles in one year at the Central YMCA indoor track.

Guido was a member of the 10-man team that set the World Record in the 24-Hour Relay for over 50-year-olds in 1979. His team surpassed the previous mark, set by the San Diego Track Club, by running 229 miles and 1,111 yards in a 24-hour period. They accomplished this in the rain on a cinder track at Susquehanna University.

Guido ran in 27 Marathons, 30 Half Marathons, and 10 Ten Milers. He ran in DE, MD, NJ, PA, Maine, Boston, New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, Montreal, and England. At the Penn Relays, Guido ran a marathon in 90-degree heat. He ran in the first Marine Corps Marathon in 1976. He was the top Delaware "Over 50" finisher in the 1978 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon. That same year, he finished third (missing second by less than a minute) in the "50 and Over" category of the Road Runner Club of America's 20 K race in Baltimore, MD.

At the age of 52, Guido ran a 10 Miler, a 10 K, and three marathons all within six weeks. All three of the marathons were Boston qualifiers. In all, Guido ran over 250 races.

An avid handball player, Guido played in four world tournaments and several national tournaments. He was a plate winner (consolation) at the World Championships in Ireland, and he was twice runner up in his age group at the Northeast Regionals. An opponent once said, "You may win against Guido, but you never beat him!" Guido is a member of the Delaware Handball Hall of Fame.

Even though his running and handball made for a full schedule, Guido always had time for his children. Guido would drive 1,000 miles to see his son play college football. He would do this often after attending a Friday night Sallies game. On more than one occasion, he made the journey to support the team even though he knew his son was not slated to play due to injury.

Always one to let his opinions be known, Guido's Letters to the Editor were published by the Wilmington News Journal, the Philadelphia Daily News, Sports Illustrated, the Irish Times, the Bozman (MT) Daily Chronicle, and the Orlando Sentinel, among others.

Guido's encyclopedic knowledge of Wilmington history and local sports was legendary. He could instantly recall names, places, and dates. He was a fixture at the games, practices, and scrimmages for various Salesianum sports for many years. His enthusiasm for watching young athletes mature was contagious.

Guido was always appreciative of the kindness and accommodation extended to him by the Salesianum School staff. Brendan Kennealy, before retiring as president, summed up Guido well: "You remember all of our history but somehow don't fall into the trap of getting stuck in the past."

Guido was an officer in the Salesianum Alumni Association for over 30 years. He was an Alumni Service Award winner and an early inductee in the Salesianum Hall of Fame.

As he would for many sporting events, Guido is right now at the Pearly Gates trying to convince St. Peter to let him in for free.

Guido was predeceased by his wife Theresa (Grant); father, Vincent; mother, Rose (Capone); sisters, Laura (Kelley) and Mary; and his cousin J.B. "Robert" Schiavi.

Guido is survived by his ten children: Vincent (Mary Ann), Joseph, Guy (Barbara), William, Anthony, Michael, Claire (Kurt Schmeck), Ed (Ava), Harry (Lori), Rosanne (Paul McDermott); his cousin Richard Schiavi, his 14 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

The family appreciates the compassion of the staff at Shipley Living, Encore at Foulk and Accent Care.

A visitation will be held on Monday March 30th from 5 P.M. to 7 P.M. at the Mealey Funeral Home, 2509 Limestone Road Wilmington, DE 19808. An additional viewing will be held from 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. with Mass of Christian Burial to begin at 11:30 A.M. at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 7 Sharpley Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803. Interment will follow at Cathedral Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Central YMCA, 501 W. 11th Street Wilmington, DE 19801 https://donate.ymcade.org/give/528612/#!/donation/checkout, or Salesianum School, 1801 N. Broom Street Wilmington, DE 19802 or via https://www.salesianum.org/giving in Guido's name.