Stephen Joseph Del Giudice former local official loses yearlong battle to Leukemia. Mr. Del Giudice, originally from Providence RI and current resident of Washington DC, passed in his home surrounded by his family in the early morning hours of December 17, 2015. Mr. Del Giudice is survived by his wife Sheila Driscoll, his children Cara Lingle and Nicolas Del Giudice, his son-in-law Bryan Lingle, his grandchildren Colton and Grayson Lingle and his brothers, Peter, Dante, Michael and Joseph Del Giudice. Mr. Del Giudice was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1951. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1974 where he served as the student body president and was very active on campus. He received his master’s degree in history from the University of Toledo and later attended Antioch School of Law in Washington DC. Mr. Del Giudice sat for the DC bar exam the day his first child, Cara was born. His son Nicolas would soon follow only two years later. His children were the product of his first marriage of 25 years to Ms. Lori Loffredo whom he met just before starting his undergraduate degree. Mr. Del Giudice practiced law in the District of Columbia and served as a member of the faculty at the George Washington University Law School clinical program. During his tenure at GW he created a federal and apellate litigation program that exists to this day. After his career in law his natural migration was to move into politics. Mr. Del Giudice served two and a half terms as Mayor of Takoma Park from 1985-1990. He won his seat as mayor in the first election beating the incumbent by only 8 votes. A major achievement during his tenure was to re-write the city charter to restructure the council and give the mayor a vote. Mr. Del Giudice made history being elected to the Prince George’s county Council from district 2 as a write in candidate in 1990. Mr. Del Giudice represented Prince George’s County on the coordination committee that lead to the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. During his tenure on the county council, Mr. Del Giudice developed an expertise in transportation and land use. He was also active in the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments and served as Chairman of the Transportation Planning Board. Mr. Del Giudice left public service in 1998 and took a position as a consultant doing environmental clearances under the national environmental policy act. In 2007 he returned to the public sector and took a position as the transit bureau chief for Arlington County. During his tenure the local bus service ART and STAR grew exponentially to a full service local transit program.In addition to his many accomplishments in his career Mr. Del Giudice had many passions in life. He was a sports fanatic and loved his children dearly. Everyone who knew him would say at times his passion for both were insurmountable. As a part of his children’s upbringing he was a coach and a mentor. He loved to watch and at times coached his son at soccer and hockey. He would tell you that he had no business coaching but he truly loved watching his son play in any sport. He was also an avid baseball fan and read the sports page like it was his bible. In 2008 he married Sheila Driscoll. While his life with her ended too soon, it was filled with love, laughter, travel, adventure and fun. He embraced and prioritized all that life had to offer during their seven years of their marriage. The marriage of his daughter brought the birth of two grandchildren. His grandchildren were his world and he was adamant about seeing them often and taking part in their lives even during his time of illness. Mr. Del Giudice was diagnosed with AML on December 19th, 2014. Somehow between months of hospital stays, treatments and tears he managed to live one last amazing year. He chose to suffer for the most part in silence but it was not in vain. He was an amazing man and best friend to many and while his journey was cut way too short, it was certainly impactful. He will be sorely missed by his family, many friends and all those he touched in his life. Family and friends will be received on Friday, December 18th , 2015 at Cunningham Turch Funeral Home at 811 Cameron Street Alexandria, VA 22314 from 6pm to 8pm. A celebration of life ceremony is to take place on January 10th, 2016 at Maggiano’s in Chevy Chase from 12 noon to 3pm at 5333 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20015.