Donald Joseph Elardo
April 13, 1942 ~ September 1, 2022
Donald Joseph Elardo of Great Falls, Virginia, passed away on September 1, 2022. He was born on April 13, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio, and was preceded in death by his parents, Dan and Lillian Elardo, and his brother James. Don is survived by his loving wife, June Martin Elardo, sons Christopher and Jason (Margot), and grandchildren Raquel, Gianna and Caitlyn, his loyal rescue beagle Beau, and 2 nieces and 2 nephews.
Don was a devoted husband and father and received great joy wherever he was visited by his grandchildren. Don was an avid reader of a variety of genres. His hobbies included trips to Rehoboth Beach, the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, the Maryland Terps basketball team, Virginia Tech sports, crossword puzzles, fine wine and his love of country music.
Don attended James Ford Rhodes High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio with a history degree. He taught history in middle school while attending Cleveland Marshall Law School in the evening. Don’s first legal job was as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC., followed by a Washington law firm. He taught business law at a local community college in the evening. Moving his family to New York to work with RCA, then returned to the DC area to join Satellite Business Systems, then MCI WorldCom, and finally XO Communications. In all of these endeavors, Don brought a unique combination of business and communications law expertise.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 11:00 am at Money and King Funeral Home, 171 Maple Avenue West, Vienna, Virginia. The family will receive friends at that time.
In lieu of flowers, a charitable contribution in his name may be made to charities that provide health and protection services to animals or to conduct medical research to combat human disease. Online condolences and fond memories may be offered to the family at www.moneyandking.com
Don was a devoted husband and father and received great joy wherever he was visited by his grandchildren. Don was an avid reader of a variety of genres. His hobbies included trips to Rehoboth Beach, the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, the Maryland Terps basketball team, Virginia Tech sports, crossword puzzles, fine wine and his love of country music.
Don attended James Ford Rhodes High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio with a history degree. He taught history in middle school while attending Cleveland Marshall Law School in the evening. Don’s first legal job was as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC., followed by a Washington law firm. He taught business law at a local community college in the evening. Moving his family to New York to work with RCA, then returned to the DC area to join Satellite Business Systems, then MCI WorldCom, and finally XO Communications. In all of these endeavors, Don brought a unique combination of business and communications law expertise.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 11:00 am at Money and King Funeral Home, 171 Maple Avenue West, Vienna, Virginia. The family will receive friends at that time.
In lieu of flowers, a charitable contribution in his name may be made to charities that provide health and protection services to animals or to conduct medical research to combat human disease. Online condolences and fond memories may be offered to the family at www.moneyandking.com
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RIP Don.
Don was my first boss after law school and he was a pleasure to work for and have as a friend. Bob Beury
Please accept my deepest condolences. I worked with Don at MCI in the late 90’s, early 2000’s. He was a great colleague and friend–always willing to take the time to explain something to a new attorney like me. I’m glad I had a chance to know him and work with him. Tim Vogel.
I was so sad to hear of Don’s passing. But I have such wonderful memories of all the New Year’s Eves we spent together at our house in Reston, and those memories make me smile. And I also smile when I think that Don and Bill are having a grand reunion. Much love from Barbara Hickman and family.
Don had a terrific smile and an infectious laugh. This photo was taken in October 2013 at our XO Legal and Regulatory Oktoberfest celebration. Don, you will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing you. We were looking forward to seeing you and June in Rehoboth next month. Our deepest condolences to the family. Fondly, Denise Jackson and John White
Sending my deepest sympathies to friends and family on Don’s passing. He was a wonderful man, mentor, lawyer and office mate. Working with Don at XO brought us all more laughter, wisdom, insight and wonderful pineapple treats at Thanksgiving. He was a steady presence who delighted in sharing his gifts. Don will be missed. Wishing you all peace at this sad time. Denise C. Clayton
Dear June and family, Don was a remarkable friend, lawyer, mentor, and reason for many a smile on my face every day at XO for over a decade. I missed working with him each and every day after he retired, and miss him today! Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers, now and always, and we will treasure every moment spent with Don and the joy he brought to all those around him. All our love! Sam and Claudine Tower
I worked with Don for many years at both SBS and MCI. Loved his sense of humor when dealing with us marketing types hoping for his sage wisdom immediately. The cartoon posted on his door showed a guy laughing and read “You want it when?” RIP Don. Linda Landwehr
Q: What was one of your favorite qualities of Donald?
A: Don had a great smile and an infectious laugh. He was one of the smartest lawyers that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He was kind and generous with his time and knew a lot about many different topics. We really bonded over dogs. I had a puppy and he would give me advice on training. Don loved his family and spending time in Rehoboth Beach. We also spent a lot of time talking about the process of building his dream beach house. We were looking forward to seeing Don and June in Rehoboth next month but larger plans prevailed.
RIP Don. You will be greatly missed.
Denise Jackson and John White