Richard Marcello, MD

Dates

Obituary

Richard Peter Marcello, MD, 76, of Tucson, AZ, entered eternal Glory with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Tucson, AZ. Private family burial will be at Graceland Cemetery in Mitchell.

Richard Peter Marcello was the firstborn son of Peter and Anna Marcello in Trenton, NJ, on October 19, 1949. He attended Parkway Elementary School, later earning the honor of class valedictorian of Ewing High School. Rich became a fraternity member of Sigma Pi, graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Jefferson Medical College, and completed his residency at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

Dr. Marcello, a board-certified ophthalmologist, headed West to join Dr. Kelly Hansen's Tucson medical practice. A few years later, Richard established Desert Eye Associates in partnership with Jack Aaron, MD. Over the next three-plus decades, Richard had many exceptional employees and ophthalmologists who joined their practice and treated their patients in their Tucson and Green Valley offices.

His life changed radically after starting his Tucson family, becoming a believer in Jesus, and a member of Christ Community Church, where he was baptized. He volunteered for decades with the Southern Arizona Eye Unit, bringing eye care to rural communities with his friend Greg King.

Richard was a long-time member of Pantano Rotary, enjoying rich friendships and helping others, being awarded Rotarian of the Year, serving as President, and becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. He has had friends in all walks of life in Tucson, including becoming a friend of Bill's.

Richard enjoyed hiking, cycling, skiing, weight training, fishing, cooking, planting trees, and succeeding in growing endless tomatoes in Tucson's summer heat, then sharing with others. 

A true Renaissance man, he has been a lifelong learner, loving travel, domestic and international, various languages due to his Latin studies in schooling, and he has mastered countless crossword puzzles. Dr. Marcello persevered through thirteen challenging years of Parkinson's/PSP as he lost most of his faculties, one day at a time. Richard's deepening relationship with God, close family, and friends carried him. His enduring positive attitude and wry sense of humor exemplified his personality as loyal, kind, diligent, patient, compassionate, humble, and courageous to those around him, leaving his legacy rich in memories of his perseverance.

Dearly loving his family, Richard leaves behind his wife, best friend of 42 years, Lucinda (Weller), their sons, Wills (Valerie) and Phillip (Meghan), his daughter, Megan Noli, four grandsons, brother-in-law Jason Weller (Shari), and two nephews.

Richard traded the Latin phrase of Carpe Diem, Seize the Day, for the Christian phrase, Carpe Deum, Seize God. To God be the Glory for his life well lived.