Joseph Michael Giovannelli

Joseph Michael Giovannelli, 83, of Vienna, Virginia, passed away Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at his home after a long battle with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jacqueline (Sturgill), his two children, Jason and Danielle, and his grandson, Dylan. Joe was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 28, 1940, to Raymond and Elizabeth Giovannelli. Joseph was a first-ish generation American—his father was born in Pittsburgh and his mother immigrated from Italy when she was three years old. Joseph was raised in the government projects of Pittsburgh known as Terrace Village No. 2.

Despite poverty at home, he excelled in school, earning a free spot in prestigious Central Catholic High School for being the number one student in his elementary school. Joe’s education at Central Catholic led to admission to Duquesne University, and he paid for his tuition by life-guarding year-round at local pools. Joe studied math and philosophy, a subject he referenced frequently throughout his life, and was a member of the Italian Alpha Phi Delta fraternity. Joe graduated from Duquesne in May 1962 and became eligible for the draft, a fact the US Army was well aware of. The Army sent Joe a draft notice, but immediately after an unpleasant Army physical and seeing a life in the infantry on the horizon, Joe visited the US Navy’s recruiter and signed up to attend the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Despite the Army’s best efforts to claim Joe from the Navy, including a brief visit from the FBI, Joe finished Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an ensign in the fall of 1962.

Joe served as damage control officer aboard the USS Ashtabula, an auxiliary oiler, which was in the Gulf of Tonkin in the summer of 1963 when the United States entered the Vietnam War. After a 13-month deployment to the Pacific, the ship returned to Long Beach, California, and soon after Joe met his future wife, Jackie. The Navy sent Joe to Washington, DC, to work on computers and Jackie decided to join him.

Joe left the Navy in 1967 and worked briefly in computers before getting his real estate license. Joe worked at various real estate agencies in Northern Virginia throughout his 40-year career, and started two agencies of his own: Fireside Properties and All-Savers Realty. After the real estate market crash in the early 1990s, Joe joined his colleague John Stedman to launch Commission Express. He and John turned their regional business into a successful multinational company, with locations in almost all 50 states.

Joe’s unusual hobbies included following the ups and downs of mutual funds. Another was reading the newspaper cover-to-cover every day. In his youth he was an avid skier, and throughout his life he liked to travel, visiting locations such as Alaska, Hong Kong, several countries in Europe, and the Caribbean. He was thrilled when he finally became a Nono at 78 years old.

A memorial service will be held Monday, June 12, 2023, at Money & King Funeral Home at 2pm.