John Gerard Pucciano

John Pucciano, 85, departed this earthly life February 17, 2026 in Norfolk, VA with his wife, Susan, by his side.   03/26/1940 – 02/17/2026.  Life is about the dash between the dates, and John’s dash represents the life of an incredible man of many accomplishments, but most importantly a man who had a positive impact on the lives of so many others.  His personality has been described as someone with “a big warm smile, big warm handshake, big warm heart”, and that is exactly who he was.

John was born in Brooklyn, NY where he lived until 1946 when his family relocated to FL while his parents were divorcing. They returned to NY where he spent most of his school years until joining the Navy in 1957 and becoming a Navy Corpsman.  He was a true patriot and proud to serve his country.  He went on to get his undergrad degree in Finance and Corporate Risk Management at St. John’s University in NY, followed by an MBA from the University of New Haven.

John often joked that his resume looked like someone who couldn’t hold a job because he had so many opportunities given his successes and his relationships with his mentors and others.  Some of his most noteworthy positions included serving in President Reagan’s administration as Acting Asst Secretary of Vocational and Adult Education and Deputy Asst Secretary for Higher Education Programs, and then as President and CEO of the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools where he was a frequent speaker in the US and internationally. Education was something he was passionate about and he had over 3 decades of experience as a trainer and facilitator including at Deltek, Garrett College, the University of Phoenix and The Women’s Business Center in DC.

He was always active in whatever community he was part of, serving both as a member and in leadership roles in organizations like Rotary International, Habitat for Humanity, the neighborhood HOA, local animal rescue groups (he was once dubbed a closet crazy cat lady by the cat program volunteers at HART in Virginia!) and many other volunteer organizations. He made friends and made a difference wherever he was.
He and his wife Susan lived in the DC metro area for many years before moving to Deep Creek Lake in Western MD where they skied and enjoyed the lake and mountains and the community. When the long winters got old, they moved to Duck, NC on the Outer Banks where they had vacationed for many years.  He loved Susan, his children, Deep Creek Lake, the Outer Banks, trains (real and HO scale models), history (especially WWII and the Civil War), reading, travelling, photography, painting, cats, Hallmark movies, all people and life in general.

John is survived by his loving wife, Susan; his children Mary Beth and John; granddaughters Annie and Evelyn; siblings Frank Pucciano (Linda), Fred Pucciano (Carol), Kathy Garber (Terry), Betsy Mercier, Joyce Pittman (Winston), Trish Reynolds (Randy), Mary Dial (Julian), Joanne Love, Arlene Petrowski, Thomas Petrowski (Caterina); and many nieces and nephews.  Susan is honoring John’s preference for cremation and plans are pending for a memorial gathering at a future date in Northern Virginia.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s honor to Garrett County (MD) Habitat for Humanity, the Cowell Cancer Center in Nags Head, NC or Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART90.org) of Northern Virginia.

Please share condolences with Susan and the family at www.gallopfuneralservices.com . Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was entrusted with arrangements.