Mr. Frank Albert DeAngelis

Frank DeAngelis, 77, of Charlottesville, died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. Born on February 12, 1937, in Nesquehoning, PA, to Filippo and Rosalba DeAngelis, he graduated from the University of Corpus Christi, where he met and married the former Dolores Mingus, his beloved wife of 52 years. Frank served in the United States Coast Guard, where he traveled the world, reaching both the North and South Poles. He received an M.Ed from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. An inspiring teacher as well as a gifted actor and director, he spent his career in education, all the while acting in and directing countless professional theater productions. In 1967 he began his first of two stints at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia, where over the years he served as Associate Headmaster, Dean of Faculty, Chair of the English Department, Director of Curriculum, Director of the Drama Program, and coach of the football, lacrosse and track teams. In 1971 he embarked on a career in publishing that took him and his family to Central Illinois and Northern California. He wrote many educational texts on subjects ranging from teaching to writing to administrating, and in 1987 he won the National Librarian’s Award, which credited him with publishing one of the first supplementary textbook guides to effective teaching. In 1992, he returned to Blue Ridge at a time when the school was undergoing a major transition, and he was instrumental in steering it toward a period of growth and prosperity. Upon his retirement in 2006 he was awarded Faculty Emeritus status, and during the five years that followed, he continued his work with the Drama Department that he and Dolores, the school’s longest-serving choir director and Faculty Emeritus, founded. “Frank DeAngelis is a Blue Ridge School legend,” Headmaster Trip Darrin said. “Among many impacts, Frank will always be remembered for starting the BRS drama program. To create something from scratch, something that endures and becomes an integral part of a school or organization, takes passion, energy and leadership – things that Frank DeAngelis had in spades.” Associate Headmaster Kevin Miller added, “Frank DeAngelis embodied all that is good in a teacher: passion, tenacity, loyalty, humor, and a seemingly endless capacity to take a deep breath and give a struggling student a second chance. He loved his Blue Ridge boys with all of his heart, and they loved him back.” Beyond the office and the classroom, Frank was one of the most beloved and memorable people in the lives of his family, to whom he meant everything, and of his wide circle of friends. He was funny, big-hearted, wise, knowledgeable about literature, history, sports, drama, film, music and everything in between. He was a great storyteller and singer, a human jukebox of the American songbook. He was every child’s favorite uncle, every adult’s most entertaining friend, and though he lit up a room, he would always be the first to throw an arm around you and ask how you’ve been doing. He was that rare combination: a magnetic personality who also had genuine curiosity about others and the world. His life was a work of art that will live on in the memories and stories of the great number people who were lucky enough to know him.