Dr. John DeCarlo Jr., retired chief of radiology at St. Joseph Medical Center, died of multiple myeloma Feb. 10 at the hospital where he had worked for more than two decades. The longtime Towson resident was 87.
Dr. DeCarlo was born and raised in South Philadelphia and earned a bachelor's degree in 1939 from Temple University. In 1944, he earned a degree in radiology from Jefferson Medical School.
He served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946 and was assigned as a medical officer aboard the destroyer USS Crosley.
While participating in the invasion of Okinawa in 1945, the Crosley went to the aid of two destroyers, the USS Dickerson and USS Whitehurst, after the vessels had been hit by kamikaze aircraft and set ablaze.
Dr. DeCarlo earned a Navy commendation for his work helping victims of the attack.
"As medical officer of the fire and rescue party, he organized first aid groups and directed their participation in the rescue of parties at great risk from exploding ammunition and gasoline and threatened attacks by enemy planes," the commendation stated.
After the war, Dr. DeCarlo moved to Baltimore and worked in radiology at the old Baltimore City Hospitals - now Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
From 1961 until his retirement in 1987, he was chief of radiology at St. Joseph and also was an instructor in radiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
He enjoyed cruising the Chesapeake Bay aboard his Lucky D, a cabin cruiser, and gardening and stamp collecting.
Dr. DeCarlo was a communicant at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Baltimore and Ware avenues, Towson, where a Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. today.
Surviving are his wife of 58 years, the former Cecelia Cannon; two sons, John DeCarlo III of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and James P. DeCarlo of Phoenix, Baltimore County; a daughter, Cece Trainor of Kensington; and three grandchildren.
