Peter Dileo
August 6, 1953 — October 20, 2009
PETER G. DiLEO �" died the morning of October 20th at the Rosenthal Hospice Residence in Stamford after fighting a brave battle with cancer. He was 56. He was born in Hackensack, NJ on August 6, 1953 to the late John M. DiLeo and Ann R. Colello. He had been a resident of Old Greenwich since 1994, living previously in Stamford.
Until June of this year, Peter served as Director of Communications and Racial Justice at the YWCA of Greenwich. Prior to that, he worked for Magellan Health Services as the Program Coordinator for the employee assistance program that served over 5,000 USPS employees and their family members. Before that he was Executive Director of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, a non-profit organization that serves people with visual impairments. During his career he was also Internship Coordinator for the University of Connecticut and Director of Development and Public Information for Hospice Care, Inc. Peter was active in the Stamford community for a number of years, volunteering his time at numerous social service agencies. He also served on a number of Boards of Directors including Domestic Violence Services, The Connecticut Primary Care Association, The Volunteer Center of Southwestern CT, Gateway Communities and Stamford Cares.
He earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Psychology from George Washington University. After college, he became a Legislative Research Assistant in Washington, DC serving on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency and worked directly for Senator Birch Bayh. Following that he received an MA from Fairfield University in Corporate and Political Communication and an MA from Bridgeport University in Marriage and Family Therapy. He was a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In his free time, Peter was an avid swimmer, faithfully doing his laps at the Italian Center of Stamford where he was a member for over 20 years. He was a voracious reader of historical fiction and in healthier days loved nothing better than walking with friends at Tod’s Point, riding his motorcycle, jumping the waves on the Jersey Shore and savoring a Kir Royale at the end of a hot summer afternoon while listening to Tom Waits. He had a wonderfully balanced view of life that everyone who knew him will miss. We’ll never forget the vibrancy of his voice or his laugh or the way he was able to bring a room full of people to life. He was one of a handful of people who truly knew the meaning of living each day to its fullest and it’s hard to fathom our lives without him.
He is survived by his former wife Meredith, his daughter Indea, two sisters; Kathleen Zorner of Venice, Fl and Rita O’Brien of Paramus, NJ and two brothers; J. Richard DiLeo of Longwood, FL and Charles Colello of Vienna, VA. He was an adoring uncle to Brigitte, Heidi, Lisa, Christina, Debi, Jessica, Laura, Eric, Bill and Charlie.
We will cherish his memory forever as the baby brother, Papa and Uncle Peter. We know rides on the Boat to Nowhere will never be the same and we hope that our Earth Shirts never wear out. We will always love him as he loved us - more than the sun and the moon and the stars. All services are private.
Until June of this year, Peter served as Director of Communications and Racial Justice at the YWCA of Greenwich. Prior to that, he worked for Magellan Health Services as the Program Coordinator for the employee assistance program that served over 5,000 USPS employees and their family members. Before that he was Executive Director of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, a non-profit organization that serves people with visual impairments. During his career he was also Internship Coordinator for the University of Connecticut and Director of Development and Public Information for Hospice Care, Inc. Peter was active in the Stamford community for a number of years, volunteering his time at numerous social service agencies. He also served on a number of Boards of Directors including Domestic Violence Services, The Connecticut Primary Care Association, The Volunteer Center of Southwestern CT, Gateway Communities and Stamford Cares.
He earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Psychology from George Washington University. After college, he became a Legislative Research Assistant in Washington, DC serving on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency and worked directly for Senator Birch Bayh. Following that he received an MA from Fairfield University in Corporate and Political Communication and an MA from Bridgeport University in Marriage and Family Therapy. He was a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In his free time, Peter was an avid swimmer, faithfully doing his laps at the Italian Center of Stamford where he was a member for over 20 years. He was a voracious reader of historical fiction and in healthier days loved nothing better than walking with friends at Tod’s Point, riding his motorcycle, jumping the waves on the Jersey Shore and savoring a Kir Royale at the end of a hot summer afternoon while listening to Tom Waits. He had a wonderfully balanced view of life that everyone who knew him will miss. We’ll never forget the vibrancy of his voice or his laugh or the way he was able to bring a room full of people to life. He was one of a handful of people who truly knew the meaning of living each day to its fullest and it’s hard to fathom our lives without him.
He is survived by his former wife Meredith, his daughter Indea, two sisters; Kathleen Zorner of Venice, Fl and Rita O’Brien of Paramus, NJ and two brothers; J. Richard DiLeo of Longwood, FL and Charles Colello of Vienna, VA. He was an adoring uncle to Brigitte, Heidi, Lisa, Christina, Debi, Jessica, Laura, Eric, Bill and Charlie.
We will cherish his memory forever as the baby brother, Papa and Uncle Peter. We know rides on the Boat to Nowhere will never be the same and we hope that our Earth Shirts never wear out. We will always love him as he loved us - more than the sun and the moon and the stars. All services are private.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Peter Dileo, please visit our flower store.