Francesco Lawrence "Frank" DeCaria
March 25, 1945 ~ January 25, 2026
Born in:
Steubenville, Ohio
Resided in:
Weirton, West Virginia
Francesco Lawrence “Frank” DeCaria, 80, of Weirton, WV, passed away with his family at his side on Sunday January 25, 2026.
Frank was born on March 25, 1945, in Steubenville, Ohio, a son of the late Gaspare “Lawrence” and Angelica “Dato” DeCaria.
He was a graduate of Weirton Madonna High School and continued his education at Duquesne University and Marquette University.
In 1974, Frank married Sheila Doherty DeCaria, and together they were blessed with one son, three daughters, and nine grandchildren.
In addition to working in the family business, Frank devoted his life to education. He began his career at Lawrenceville Catholic High School and later served as President of the Federation of Catholic Teachers Union. Frank went on to become a professor of Humanities at West Virginia Northern Community College, where he taught for more than 25 years. Countless former students, when asked, would say Frank was their favorite teacher remembered for his intellect, passion, and genuine care for others.
Frank was a member of Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church. He previously served on the Saint Joseph the Worker School Board and was a Past President of the Weirton Rotary Club.
In his free time, Frank enjoyed reading the newspaper and engaging in thoughtful discussions about current events, but most of all, he cherished time spent with his family.
In addition to his parents, Frank was preceded in death by his brother, Frank J. “Keener” DeCaria.
He will be remembered with love by his wife, Sheila Doherty DeCaria; his son, Lawrence (Jennifer) DeCaria; his daughters, Dr. Nicole (Rob) Chenet, Angela (Dan) Blankenship, and Adriane (Jason) Rybka; his grandchildren, Gianna, Marco, and Rocco Chenet, Dylan Lauren DeCaria, Dominic, Adalena, and Bruno Blankenship, and Clara Lena and Santino Rybka; his brothers, Joseph A. (Nancy) DeCaria and Anthony J. “Tony” (Alice) DeCaria; along with many DeCaria cousins, friends, colleagues, and former students.
Visitation will be held Thursday from 2:00–7:00 PM at the Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home, 3219 Main Street, Weirton, WV.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday at 12:00 Noon at Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church, Weirton, WV.
Frank will be laid to rest at Saint Paul’s Cemetery in Weirton.
Frank’s family would like to thank the wonderful RN’s and staff of the CCU and Step Down Units of Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Drs John and Cherian, and Valley Hospice in Steubenville for their compassionate care and support.
Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Church or Catholic Grade School, or to the WVNCC Foundation.
Share tributes at www.grecohertnick.com
Services
Visitation: January 29, 2026 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home
3219 Main Street
Weirton, WV 26062
(304) 748-3219
https://www.grecohertnick.com
Mass of Christian Burial: January 30, 2026 12:00 pm
Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church
229 California Avenue
Weirton, WV 26062
304-723-2054
Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Francesco Lawrence "Frank" DeCaria 's name.
Saint Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church
229 California Avenue
Weirton,
WV
26062
W.V.N.C.C. Foundation
1704 Market Street
Wheeling,
WV
26003
Mr. Decaria was one of my favorite teachers at WVNCC and such a wonderful human. The world was blessed to have him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I cherished my time in his classroom. We got into some great discussions. God rest his soul.
Gina DiPietrantonio- Conforti
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
Shelia I’m so sorry to hear of your loss of Frank . My heart is heavy for you and you family . May the Lord be with you and your family 🙏
Every time I saw your dad, he reminded me that I was the one who needed a babysitter. So many great memories.
May you rest in beautiful peace Frank.
So hard to bury our parents. Prayers and love to all.
Dear Shiela and family,
Please accept our deepest condolences. Frank was one of my favorites. He touched many lives. May all of your good memories together sustain you and your family during this difficult time. May God bless you all.
Tim and Lisa
Deepest Sympathy for the DeCaria family, Rest in Peace, Frank, you will be missed but always remember.
Sheila and family, I am sending prayers for all of you. Frank was a great family man and served his church and community well.
I worked at WVNCC, full and part-time, for 40 years, many of those with Frank, starting when he was part-time. His office was across from mine, and what fun that was! He used to leave his office tv on, and I used to turn it off. He used to call me Teeves, and so I purposely mispronounced his name and called him De CARia. He used to rant about everything political that annoyed him, and I used to agree and laugh. Sometimes I’d tap on his classroom door window when he was teaching, just to make him annoyed–though he usually laughed. He’d always take the elevator to the second floor, and I’d run up the steps and easily beat him, and he always said I was just trying to show him up, which is exactly what I was doing!
Frank was just a great guy. I know that everyone will miss him more than even he could have expected. I certainly will.
Dear Sheila and family,
Our hearts are heavy for you on Frank’s passing. We will always remember his lovely smile as he entered a room and how he genuinely made people feel so welcome around him. Our thought and prayers are with you all.
My deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family!! I know Frank will be greatly missed!!
I will always remember Frank as very laid-back and easy-going. He was so easy to talk to and at ease wherever he went. He certainly loved the Jersey
shore! My memories of him always give you comfort.
We’ve been lucky to have such good neighbors for 35+ years. Frank was a great conversationalist, touched many lives and will be truly missed. Our thoughts are with you all during this difficult time.
My condolences to Paco’s family. I was one of his students at LCHS (’79). He was a such a dedicated and concerned teacher. I learned much about treating students respectfully and compassionately from him. RIP.
I was one of his students at LCHS. Rest in power.
Donna Occhipinti
My deepest condolences for your tremendous loss. Mr. DeCaria was an amazing teacher (LCHS 80′) and treated us all with patience and respect. I’ve often thought of him through the years with good memories.
My deepest sympathy to all the DeCaria family. I worked with Frank at WVNCC and have many good memories of him. A truly good man. I’ll miss him. May he rest in peace.
Sending love and prayers to your entire family.
Dear Shelia and Family,
Linda and I are saddened at Frank’s passing. He was such a friendly, nice guy. We always enjoyed bring in his company and I had many great conversations with him. He was a very intelligent guy and I learned a lot from him when we talked. I feel terrible for you. May he rest in peace.
Mr. DeCaria,
You were one of the teachers that I have always remembered. As us old Lawrenceville people would get together here and there your name ALWAYS came up, so you are always remembered. I was the youngest of 3, you taught all of us. You will never be forgotten from the LAWRENCEVILLE CATHOLIC (KIDS)
Mr. DeCaria was the Spanish teacher and the head of Discipline at our small Catholic school in Lawrenceville PA. He taught myself and many of my nine siblings. Needless to say, he and my mother were quite close!
Here’s to Mr. DeCaria, he was a legend! RIP
My heartfelt condolences to you Shelia and your family. I always enjoyed spending time with Frank. He made a difference. Prayers….Frank and Becky Vranovich.
Mr Sedaris was my history, class of 1970. No doubt he was 1 of the best teachers I ever had. Fly high with the angels Mr. D.
Mr. Dicaria, ( Paco ) so sorry to hear of your passing. Thank you for being patient, understanding, and tolerant to a young, foolish student. Tim Kopicko, Lawrenceville Catholic High School, Class of 1980.
Dear DeCaria Family,
I am so sad to hear of Frank’s passing. We loved having you all as neighbors and I will always remember his bright smile, joy and love of people and conversation. He was always bright and kind and funny with his sly commentary jokes. 😍 May the angels guide him to Our Lord’s loving arms. Hugs and deep sympathy to you all 🙏❤️
All who knew Frank loved him. I’m so very sorry to hear of his recent illness and passing. These times are so hard but I know you’re wonderful family and friends will surround each other for the difficult days ahead. I wish I could be there. As I write this from my classroom in Iowa, I will always remember Frank’s powerful discussions and heartfelt teacher to teacher advice over the years.
Love,
Cheri
Mr. DeCaria was my Spanish Teacher in 1969 at LCHS! He was that one Teacher that you will always remember and made a difference in your life just by showing empathy towards me! I had some rough days in school due to my home life and he asked me one day if I was okay and I just said yes however just by him noticing something was wrong in that particular time in my life helped me! It may not sound like that was a big deal, but it was to me! My condolences to the family I’m deeply sorry for your loss!
Dear Sheila, Nicole, Larry, Angela and Adriane,
Please accept our heartfelt love and condolences to all of you! We wish we could be there with you. All of these tributes about Frank are so overwhelmingly beautiful. Frank was the real deal! What a beautiful legacy! He has touched so many lives ! There are no words for the legacy he has left on all who knew him! Thinking of all of you as you celebrate his wonderful life. He will live on in all of our hearts.
David & Patti (TTD) Blanc
Thank you Paco for being my teacher, all those years ago, class of 1974
Mr. D. was an extraordinary teacher and person. I became a social studies teacher in large part because of the impact he had on me at Lawrenceville Catholic High School. Mr. D. modeled how to teach effectively, enthusiastically, and passionately. He inspired me….so much so that I drove to Weirton a few years after graduating from college to personally thank him at his family’s store. His warm embrace and words of encouragement that day have stayed with me throughout my long career in the classroom. When you love your family, your work, and your community, it shows. It certainly did with Mr. D. I cherish the gift of having known him in my life.
Moose and I are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May he rest in peace.
Love, Moose and Lisa
Thank you everyone for the wonderful tributes to Frank. We are comforted in knowing he made such a profound impact on everyone he encountered. Frank wore many hats during his lifetime , dedicating his life to his students , Decaria,s and International Markets,,the Weirton community..Most importantly he was totally devoted to myself , our children, ,and grandchildren and his extended family.He is at peace now
Condolences to the DeCaria Family. Frank was one of my colleagues at West Virginia Northern Community College on the Weirton campus. Frank told lots of stories to the students in his class, always to illustrate some point about the day’s lesson. He did that with his fellow professors as well. He could speak on almost any topic and represented the college at the Weirton Rotary Club. When there was a disruption in the local Amish community in eastern Ohio, News 9 interviewed Frank for a segment on Amish traditions. As usual, he had something relevant to say. We miss you at the college, Frank. Rest in peace.