Paul DiIonno's Obituary
A Remembrance Tribute will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 1PM with food and fellowship to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 633 3rd Avenue, 28th Floor New York, NY 10017 and/or Hospice of the Chesapeake at 90 Ritchie Highway Pasadena, MD 21122
In solitude of battle with cancer, a present family is the best support. by Mark DiIonno:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/in_solitude_of_battle_with_cancer_a_present_family_is_the_best_support_di_ionno.html
Obituary :
Anthony Paul DiIonno, 62, of Annapolis, died peacefully at home on Friday, Aug. 22, surrounded by his family after a year-long battle with a rare, aggressive cancer.
Known to everyone as “Paul,” Mr. DiIonno was born in Orange, N.J., and raised in Summit, N.J. He attended St. Teresa’s School, where he won many academic awards, and graduated from Summit High School in 1970, where he was a member of the football team.
Mr. DiIonno graduated from the University of Dayton in 1975, then undertook a master’s degree in history at the University of Maryland. He later became more interested in urban planning and received a master’s degree in that discipline from the University of Maryland in 1985.
He entered government service through the Presidential Management Internship Program and was placed in the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he stayed throughout his career.
While at HUD, Mr. DiIonno was involved in many projects as a researcher, analyst and author of policy. His work helped shelter the nation’s homeless and displaced veterans, and helped low income families to find affordable housing.
He was a former elected officer of the American Society for Public Administration. He also volunteered as a mentor for Washington, D.C., high school students.
When not at work, Paul was a regular at Naval Academy wrestling matches and other sports, earned a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and was an avid soccer player. His interests ranged from Civil War history to horse racing.
He was a devoted husband to his wife of 34 years, Laura (nee Ashcraft) DiIonno, who cared for him throughout his illness, and loving father to his sons, Christopher DiIonno (Ashley) and Michael DiIonno.
He is also survived by his parents, Anthony and Rose DiIonno of Summit, N.J., sisters Angela Barens and Susan (Kailash) Lalji of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., brothers Mark DiIonno of Mountain Lakes, N.J., and John DiIonno, of Summit, N.J., six nieces and nephews, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be held Saturday, Aug. 30, at 1 p.m. at Lasting Tributes Cremation & Funeral Care, 814 Bestgate Road in Annapolis.
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