Title:Lives Well Lived – Fall 2025

Lives Well Lived honors alumni, faculty, and staff who have recently passed away. We share with you these portraits of people who have made an indelible impact living day to day as people for others. Memories collected by Patti North.

You can find a more complete list at alumni.georgetown.edu/in-memoriam.

Jean Price Lewis (C’92)

Jean passed away May 27, at 107 in Montgomery, Alabama. Born in 1918, she graduated high school at 16 and worked to help support her family during the Depression. She married an Army Officer and had two children. In the late 1950s, Jean began working for Sen. John F. Kennedy, eventually opening the L.A. office of his presidential campaign.

His victory took her to the White House where she served on his correspondence staff. After the assassination, President Johnson asked her to stay on, which she did until 1967 when she joined USAID, serving the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations. She joined the U.S. Small Business Administration in the 1980s, heading the legislative office, and for two years was deputy director of the Disaster Assistance Program.

Jean was loaned to Georgetown by SBA to help Georgetown’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development. In 1988, she began attending classes to earn her B.A. and graduated summa cum laude in 1992 at age 73.

Her granddaughter Kristin Henderson recalled, “My grandmother loved being a student at Georgetown! She got a kick out of being one of the oldest students on campus and enjoyed spending time at The Tombs. A lifelong learner, she enjoyed the ‘excuse’ of being a college student to read the great books, study philosophy, history, and ask the big questions.” The family asks gifts to honor her memory be made to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Survived by son Ralph Everett Lewis, grandchildren Kristin Jean (Swenson) Henderson, Karin Swenson Blom, Patrick Evan Lewis, and eight great grandchildren, she was predeceased by daughter Barbara Lewis Swenson.

Marie N. DeVita, M.D. (M’54)

Marie DeVita died peacefully on December 22, 2024, in Paramus, New Jersey, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in New Jersey in 1928, the child of Dominic and Maria Nicoletti.

Graduating from The College of Saint Elizabeth in 1949 and Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1954— one of only four women—she married and had seven children, settling in Paramus. A family doctor for more than 60 years, she saw patients in her home office while caring for her large family. She was on staff at Pascack Valley Hospital, Holy Name Hospital, and Bergen Pines Regional Medical Center, retiring in 2020 after her 92nd birthday.

Two of her children became physicians, both graduating from Georgetown School of Medicine. Then three of her grandchildren became physicians—one, a third generation GU school of medicine graduate, and another, a third generation female physician. Son Michael recalled, “Our mother went to medical school at a time when, not only were women rare and unexpected, but sometimes reviled. Georgetown gave her a chance and she made the most of it. She wanted a career and a family and she succeeded spectacularly with seven accomplished, happy children and diverse leadership achievements in the field. Perhaps most importantly, she served as a role model for other women. She lived the dream—but it wasn’t easy.”

Marie is survived by her children: Michael, Stephen, Maria DeVita Meyers, Robert, Thomas, Joseph, and John. She leaves behind 25 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Those who wish to honor her memory may make gifts to Breakthrough T1D to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes, or Georgetown University School of Medicine.

William F. Daddio

William “Bill” Daddio passed away on July 13, 2024. Born in 1944, at Mitchell AFB in New York, Bill graduated from St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star. After service, he returned to Notre Dame, earning an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology and anthropology.

Bill had a long career as associate director for protection/ chief for the U.S. Mint Police, where he directed all security and law enforcement programs for Mint facilities nationwide, including at Fort Knox.

Bill also served as adjunct professor at Georgetown University for more than 45 years, teaching a wide variety of courses in sociology, security studies, terrorism, cybersecurity, international crime, and criminology.

He served as consultant and appeared in two TV series shot in Washington in 2021. Series Producer Ilan Arboleda (SFS’97) said, “Bill was an incredible man and a good friend. He had deep insight into the inner workings of geopolitics, a sharp wit, and was a colorful raconteur. He was so talented that I featured him in my Paramount+ TV series Murder of God’s Banker and in the follow-up series Mafia Spies. Spending time with him on the phone and in on-camera interviews, it was easy to see why he was also a popular and highly regarded professor. I will miss him.”

Bill is survived by his beloved partner of more than 35 years, Jean Gentry, daughter, Susan Zwiep and family, brother, Raymond Daddio and family, sister, Arlene Sulek and family, and sister, Linda DePasquale and family.

Michael P. Pitterich (C’76)

Michael Pitterich passed away on May 9 at the age of 70. He graduated from Georgetown with a degree in political science before earning his J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law. He began his career as a lawyer, founding the Pitterich and Associates law firm, but soon pivoted to business and built a steel empire. Owning and operating multiple steel mills, he revitalized parts of the industry.

A lifelong lover of live music, he devoted himself to resurrecting Pittsburgh’s once-vibrant live music scene. His most well-known project was Altar Bar, a former church that he converted into a concert venue.

Michael was also a prolific philanthropist. He founded The Pitterich Foundation in 2008, which supports cancer research, the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute’s research and development on liver transplants, and the UPMC Cancer Research Center. He also funded the Michael Pitterich Endowed Scholarship, which has supported students enrolled in the Georgetown Scholars Program since 2016.

Classmate John Quigley (C’76) said, “Mike Pitterich was my dear friend from the moment we met in the fall of 1972 on Second New North. His magnetic personality, smarts, exuberance, and love of Georgetown were oh so evident immediately. Mike was a presence larger than life. His close friends will never forget all the good times we had with him. His laugh and smile will live on in our hearts forever.”

He is survived by his nieces Sarah Molloy Roxe (C’99), Beth Wells, and Meg Colella, and his nephew Bart Molloy. Donations honoring Michael’s memory may be made to the Pitterich Foundation or the Michael Pitterich Endowed Scholarship.