Madeline Therese Polcari

Madeline is survived by her husband, John Joseph Polcari, her son, John David Polcari, and her granddaughter, Ava Theresa Polcari. She is also survived by six brothers: Dennis Gillespie, Walter Gillespie, Gerard Gillespie, James Gillespie, Robert Gillespie, and Craig Gillespie, as well as eleven nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Madeline Gillespie and her infant daughter, Theresa Anne Polcari.

Madeline was born on December 30, 1953, in Beverly, MA to Walter and Madeline Gillespie. As the second of seven children, the remaining six of which were boys, she had a very active childhood, often centered around the family summer cottage located on Crystal Lake in Gilmanton, NH. In her teen years, she regularly acted as a second mother for her younger brothers. Upon graduating from high school in Reading, MA, Madeline attended Merrimack University, where she graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. During this time, she worked in her uncle Paul Gillespie’s law office before joining New England Life Insurance Company and, later, Verizon in their business software training departments. She married John Polcari in 1987, and the couple moved to Westerly, RI, where their son John David was born. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Burke, VA as required by John’s active-duty naval assignments, where they welcomed their second child Theresa, and have resided from 1989 to the present day. After marriage, Madeline focused upon raising the family, taking an active role volunteering at the parochial schools her son attended.

Madeline passed away in her home while recuperating from a recent series of hospital stays. She will be remembered as a quiet, duteous wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt who was especially fond of her younger brothers, her children, and her grandchildren.

A memorial mass, officiated by Reverend Cedric P. Wilson, is scheduled at 4:30 PM on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, VA. A reception will follow at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. All are welcome to attend both and celebrate Madeline's life. Flowers and condolences can be sent to Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association. Madeline will be subsequently laid to rest at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, VA.