Joseph Carlucci

Dr. Joseph Carlucci was taken suddenly from our midst on January 4, 2012, leaving behind his wife, Frauke Carlucci, his children, Ralph Carlucci, Lisa Joseph, Michael Carlucci, Julia Daly, Elena Lyke and Joseph Carlucci, their mother, Marienne Carlucci, and his stepchildren, Wanda Chapman, Robin Nunley and Thomas Nunley, along with their respective spouses and twelve grandchildren. He will also be greatly mourned by friends and family around the world, including his siblings, Bruno Carlucci, Angela Zirondelli and Giula Vegetti, his cousin, Alessandra Cevidalli, family friends, Rita and Roberto Tondo, his godson, Pasquale Coppola and their respective families, all of whom still live in Italy. He succumbed to a long history of congestive heart failure, dying peacefully in his sleep. A true Renaissance man, he served as an inspiration to all, having accomplished so much in his life and leaving behind a trail of wonderful memories. Born in Trani, Italy in 1925, he grew up in a land swayed by political ideals and then ravaged by the events of World War II. As a child, he absorbed the culture of being self-sufficient, modest and self-reliant amidst vineyards and olive groves. The classical education of studying Greek and Latin for eight years served him well for his future study of medicine at Europe's oldest university in Bologna, Italy, his great pride. As a young doctor he set out to practice medicine in Veglie, a small Italian town which still heralds him as a great doctor. Always eager to learn more, he came to the U.S. at the age of 30 and specialized further in anesthesiology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Later, he moved to Norfolk, VA, where he founded a large group of up to eight doctors working at all major Tidewater hospitals until his retirement in 1988. There, he was also a professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School. His enthusiasm and energy were endless as he pursued new interests such as beekeeping, gardening, planting and caring for an orchard, baking bread and making tortellini, among many other hobbies and interests. He was always on a mission to encourage youngsters to study foreign languages as he had done himself, having studied seven and having been able to apply some of them through his travels through Latin America and Europe. Music enriched his life greatly and he was never far from his beloved guitar or harmonica. He also engaged in writing poetry, particularly in his native Italian tongue. Through his refreshing sense of humor he brought laughter to many. His lifelong passion had been playing soccer; in Norfolk, he founded the Norfolk International Soccer Club when this sport was still relatively unknown in the U.S. Always wanting to sharpen his mental agility, he challenged everyone to a game of chess until the end. We will miss him dearly. A memorial service will be held at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd. Williamsburg, VA on Saturday, January 7, 2012. The family will receive visitors at 9 a.m. with the memorial service following at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Lafayette High School Foreign Language Dept., 4460 Longhill Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23118, c/o The Dr. Joseph Carlucci Scholarship Fund, which has been established to assist deserving students in their studies of Spanish and German. Online condolences may be offered at www.nelsencares.com.