Joseph C. Russo III

Joseph C. Russo, III, 60, of Fairfax, Virginia, passed away on March 23, 2026, at Inova Mt. Vernon Hospital, surrounded by family and his best friend of more than 50 years, Charles.

Joey spent his childhood in Arlington, Virginia, growing up in the magical neighborhood of Lyon Village. He attended St. Charles Catholic School and Bishop O’Connell High School, and later graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Cybersecurity Management & Policy from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Growing up in Arlington meant he was a devoted fan of Mario’s Pizza, as any native Arlingtonian of a certain generation was, and he worked in the pharmacy department at Peoples Drugstore (long before someone had the nerve to rename it CVS). Joey spent many years working at Mobil Oil before making a career change into government contracting, often working alongside his brother, Mark. He also had a lifelong passion for collecting things that brought him joy.

Joey is survived by his mother, Phyllis Russo of Arlington, Virginia; his siblings, Christopher Russo of Houston, Texas, and Mark Russo (Tanya) of Arlington, Virginia; and his niece and Goddaughter, Anna. He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph C. Russo, Jr., who likely had a plate of stuffed peppers waiting for him when he arrived in Heaven. Joey provided his father with a tremendous amount of care during his final years, which was deeply appreciated.

Joey battled ALS for several years prior to his passing and faced this horrific disease with extraordinary strength and determination. He worked tirelessly to maintain his independence—much to the chagrin of those who only wanted to make life easier for him. As a testament to his perseverance, Joey maintained full-time employment until the week before he passed. Anyone familiar with ALS understands how remarkable this is.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Charles, Karl, Peyton, William, Wendy, Johnny, Steve, and Cyndee for offering Joey unwavering support and friendship throughout his life, and especially during his illness. Your weekend visits to the Briar Patch and annual Outer Banks trips were among his favorite days. Being an honorary uncle to your children also held a very special place in his heart.

Our holidays will never be the same without hearing Joey complain about Christmas, but perhaps now he has finally admitted to himself that it really was his favorite day of the year. After his dad passed, he faithfully purchased Anna a Christmas gift from her “Poppy” each year to open in his memory. His self-imposed title of “the Grinch” and holiday grumbling fooled no one.

No one disliked having their photo taken more than Joey, so the family has chosen to omit the customary photograph often included in an obituary. Instead, we ask that you remember Joey as he appears in your favorite memory. However, if you did manage to sneak a photo of him when he wasn’t looking, we would love for you to share it at some point.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the ALS Association in his memory. Every dollar directed toward ALS research brings hope that another family affected by ALS might have more time with their loved one. We would have loved more than anything to see Joey reach 61—or better yet, 101.

The family will celebrate Joey’s life with a memorial Mass at St. Charles Catholic Church, located at 3304 Washington Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. A reception for family and friends will follow. Interment will be private at a later date.