Obituary for Michael Joseph DiRocco
Michael Di Rocco passed away on June 15, 2022, with his beloved wife Magdalena at his side. Mike was a popular figure in Brevard as he and Maggie owned and operated Chianti’s Italian restaurant from 1992-2001, which was a successful and landmark business for that period.
Mike was also an adventurer, joining the US Marines in 1954 and serving until 1959. His adventures took him around the world several times, serving as a tank commander and Italian interpreter for NATO and the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. He then joined the US Army exclusively for Special Forces. His ability to speak three different languages guaranteed him fluid international movement. He also dabbled in learning two additional languages. Mike successfully completed the military mountain climbing school in Mittenwald, Germany and the Italian mountain and glacier climbing school in Aosta, Italy.
As a member of the Italian Underwater Society with an International SCUBA certification, he led a military expedition of divers to ancient Roman galleons recovering artifacts for the Italian Bureau of Antiquities. The war in Vietnam was another adventure for Mike. He was involved in the fracas for three years until badly wounded. His many decorations include the Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
Returning to the US, he painfully learned how to walk again and was discharged from Special Forces in 1973. Mike pursued a new career and business in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, acquiring a US commercial pilot license and later a German pilot license. A published author, his non-fiction novel, Fire Your Protective Lines was well received in the US military community and Australia.
Mike loved extended travel with his wife who shared some of his adventures; parachuting, and blue water diving, climbing the Alps and Dolomites, and snow skiing. Maggie and Mike were married for 44 years. His memory will remain with many of us. A military funeral and Memorial Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 10 AM with Father Shawn O’Neal officiating. Burial will be private in the NC State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, NC.
A brother, Joseph Di Rocco (deceased) and family resided in Ft, Worth, Texas. Son Frank, who Mike was very proud of, lives in Miami with his wife, Maureen. Additional family members are grandson, Eric and his mother, Marti Gutierrez; three nieces, Nicole Di Rocco, Suzanne (Scott) Marshall, their children, Matthew and Emma Grace Marshall, and Jenna (Austin) Summerford and their children, Georgia, Harper, and Baird Summerford.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Veterans Museum of the Carolinas, 21 East Main St., Brevard, NC 28712.
Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com
Mike was also an adventurer, joining the US Marines in 1954 and serving until 1959. His adventures took him around the world several times, serving as a tank commander and Italian interpreter for NATO and the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. He then joined the US Army exclusively for Special Forces. His ability to speak three different languages guaranteed him fluid international movement. He also dabbled in learning two additional languages. Mike successfully completed the military mountain climbing school in Mittenwald, Germany and the Italian mountain and glacier climbing school in Aosta, Italy.
As a member of the Italian Underwater Society with an International SCUBA certification, he led a military expedition of divers to ancient Roman galleons recovering artifacts for the Italian Bureau of Antiquities. The war in Vietnam was another adventure for Mike. He was involved in the fracas for three years until badly wounded. His many decorations include the Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
Returning to the US, he painfully learned how to walk again and was discharged from Special Forces in 1973. Mike pursued a new career and business in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, acquiring a US commercial pilot license and later a German pilot license. A published author, his non-fiction novel, Fire Your Protective Lines was well received in the US military community and Australia.
Mike loved extended travel with his wife who shared some of his adventures; parachuting, and blue water diving, climbing the Alps and Dolomites, and snow skiing. Maggie and Mike were married for 44 years. His memory will remain with many of us. A military funeral and Memorial Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 10 AM with Father Shawn O’Neal officiating. Burial will be private in the NC State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, NC.
A brother, Joseph Di Rocco (deceased) and family resided in Ft, Worth, Texas. Son Frank, who Mike was very proud of, lives in Miami with his wife, Maureen. Additional family members are grandson, Eric and his mother, Marti Gutierrez; three nieces, Nicole Di Rocco, Suzanne (Scott) Marshall, their children, Matthew and Emma Grace Marshall, and Jenna (Austin) Summerford and their children, Georgia, Harper, and Baird Summerford.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Veterans Museum of the Carolinas, 21 East Main St., Brevard, NC 28712.
Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com