David Michael Ciardi, 58, passed away July 4, 2023 after a courageous 4 year battle from prostrate and pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 and had surgery and radiation (alone) during Covid. Radiation left him with severe side effects that complicated his diagnosis of acinar neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy extended his life, but took a toll on his energy, his spirit, and his body. Despite the surgery, chemotherapy and countless visits to the hospital and doctors appointments he never lost the joy of playing his Fender electric guitar or talking to anybody about great guitar players.
David was born in Boston, MA on October 26, 1964. He spent his early years in Rockland, MA and Seekonk, MA before his family settled in Westwood, MA. David graduated from Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton, MA with a focus on Structural Wood. David is survived by his mother, Judith Ann (Allen) Ciardi and father, John Mario Ciardi Jr., his older brother Mark Ciardi and younger sister Cynthia (Ciardi) Carruthers.
David enlisted in the United States Army in August 1983. While his service was during Peace Time, he loved to share about his experiences of jumping out of helicopters in Panama and a misguided trail in the DMZ, Korea. He was proud of his military service and the VA Hospital was instrumental in his health care.
David’s first marriage (June 18, 1988) to Frances M (Troiano) Ciardi ended in heartache when she passed away while 5 months pregnant with their first child. They were foster parents and eager to have their own children.
David married the second love of his life, Kimberly R (Sawtelle) Ciardi on October 22, 2000. Next to his marriage, his greatest pride and joy were his 3 boys. Noah (21), attends Wentworth Institute of Technology and is preparing for graduation, Joshua (18), is a manager at a Shaw’s grocery store and Isaac (15), will be a sophomore at North Attleboro High School. His life mission was to provide for his family and while he held several positions over the years, he was primarily a custodian for the Sheehan School in the Westwood Public School District for more than 20 years.
To honor David’s memory to continue to provide and/or bless the family, in lieu of flowers, A Go Fund Me has been set up for donations dedicated to continuing to send Isaac to summer camp. Isaac attends Camp Berea in New Hampshire for both one week in the summer and a weekend retreat called Deep Freeze during winter. He also attends Camp 207 of Maine Event Ministries. While the camp organizations cannot accept pre-payments as donations, the funds will only be used for Isaac’s registrations costs for as long as available.
The Go Fund Me can be found with this link https://gofund.me/78e168ff or by searching the title: Dear Isaac, Have fun at camp! Love Dad.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday July 29th at 10:00AM at the Faith Alliance Church, 833 Pleasant St. Attleboro, MA 02703