John M. Romani

John Michael Romani, originally from Fairfax, Virginia, died on April 3rd, 2026, after a period of health challenges and illness. He was 70 years old. He was born on January 31st, 1956, in Washington. DC to Miss Anita Marini who named him Steven Michael. As a young, single mother wanting the best for her firstborn, she chose adoption for him. John was raised by Mr. and Mrs. John A. Romani (formerly Elvira J. Colavecchia), as their only child and they were devoted to him. Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia within the multigenerational Romani clan, young John developed an abiding passion for history, politics, cars and sports largely due to his close relationship with his father and the family patriarch, his grandfather, Alfonso Romani. John graduated in 1970 from St. Louis Catholic School and from Groveton High School in 1974, where his native intelligence and academic promise were evident. His was a very sheltered world of family, school and church. The Romanis were devout Roman Catholics and John spent many years from the late 1960s serving as an acolyte and being active in the church community. His mother, Elvira dedicated most of her life to church service and support for its work, which would influence John’s sense of social and civic responsibility such as volunteering with the Fairfax County Department of Recreation in the 1980s. John’s trajectory led him to become trained and certified to work with Addiction Treatment Programs of hospital and halfway house programs in the 1990s – helping many through his volunteer service – including Crisis Link, a mental health and suicide-prevention hotline in Arlington, Virginia. His close circle of friends recalls in memoriam his active work in the recovery community in the Washington, D.C., area where he helped many people. John began his academic career at a couple or so local universities, including the University of Richmond, until he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at his alma mater, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1998, he became a member of the Honor Society of Phi Beta Phi fraternity and later graduated from the ODU College of Business and Public Administration with a B.Sc. in Business Administration (Management). By 1999, he was awarded the M.Sc. in Business Administration with honors (Management). In 2015, his lifelong passion for learning took him online through the work/study route to graduate from Grantham University School of Business with a M.Sc. in Performance Improvement, with distinction. John’s professional career spanned a variety of mid-to-upper-level management and technical positions in Human Resource Development with several sizeable companies in the D.C. metropolitan area, including ABM Commercial Cleaning Services. He was a dependable, dedicated, hard worker and team player - even as he bravely confronted his multiplying “assortment of maladies” (as he wryly called them) over the last 25 years. In the last several years, John worked part-time as a tax consultant with Jackson Hewitt until his demise. From 2022, John was a part of United Way, based in Frederick, Maryland as a Program Administrator for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. He was officially recognized in 2023 for his expertise, leadership and service to Frederick County, Maryland before parting with the NGO in 2025 due to health challenges. John was an avid sports enthusiast especially of football, basketball, baseball and lawn tennis and followed these disciplines over the years, at the professional level. He had played amateur basketball from his youth and stayed active throughout most of his life – playing lawn tennis up to four years ago. Until his early 40s, John also took part in marathons to benefit charities. His other strong interests included lifelong learning, being a news junkie: local, national and global affairs; actively working with political campaigns; quiet philanthropic support to various children’s charities and being part of a spiritual community. Despite being an introvert, John especially loved playing cards and board games with friends and family. John leaves to mourn his spouse of 20 years Yasmin Odlum (Romani) and his beloved stepdaughter, Yochi. He is survived by his two sisters and daughters of Anita Marini Gill: Donna Husband and Coleen Maria Dixon, and his brother-in-law, Marlin Dixon. He also leaves behind three nephews and their families: Eric Koch and his wife, Christine - and children, Brandon, Avery and Olivia; Charlie Bruce and his wife, Alice and daughter, Rosanna; Trevor Wood and husband Justin. He will be fondly remembered by his stepfather, Roger Husband and wife, Patricia Brelsford. Among the bereaved are his aunt, Shirley Louise Rogers, the last survivor of Alfonso and Elisa Romani’s ten children, as well as numerous Romani cousins, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. John will be dearly missed by the Odlum, Edwards and Reynolds families of Washington, DC – along with the family of Reginald Brown, Sr. John shared long, special, tight-knit and enduring friendships with men and women friends in recovery who expressly remember him as one who truly cared for others. He will also be remembered by his community of friends from Victory Haven (Damascus). The family wishes to express its profound gratitude to the many devoted doctors, nurses and support staff from Georgetown Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Providence Hospital, Suburban Hospital (Bethesda), Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital and Casey House Montgomery County) which have provided quality care to John through the years - and to the end. We also thank Going Home Funeral Care (Rockville) for its services as well as Jefferson Funeral Chapel and Mount Comfort Cemetery. John Michael Romani will be laid to rest with his pre-deceased parents, John and Elvira Romani at Mount Comfort Cemetery on Friday, May 1st, 2026; after a memorial service in celebration of his life at Jefferson Funeral Chapel at 10:30 am.

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John M. Romani

January 31, 1956 - April 3, 2026