Dr. George Michael DiRienzo Jr. Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dr. George Michael DiRienzo, Jr. aka Midnight George 1950-2020 George was born on February 11, 1950 to Dr. George M. DiRienzo, Sr.and Frances (Grosso) DiRienzo in Sendai, Japan where his father was stationed while serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. His brother Thomas was also born in Japan and in 1952 the family relocated to California and in 1953 to Napa. The family grew to 5 children and in 1958 their father passed away leaving Frances to raise the kids alone. Many friends remember their house on Garfield Lane as a great place to live and play. George attended St. John’s Catholic School, Redwood Jr. High and graduated Napa High School in 1968. He then attended Napa Community College, Chico State University where he received his BA and MA and then Florida State University for his PhD in Sports Psychology. George loved sports and fell in love with the game of golf. He was known by all on the links, and was an excellent golfer with no handicap. He was also known as a lover of professional wrestling and always looked forward to the next WrestleMania. He was a lifelong Warriors and Giants fan. He learned to play guitar early and was in a band called The Bedford Village with four other friends while in high school. In later years when his health made it impossible to golf any longer, he dusted off his guitar and started to play and compose music. With an introduction to the music scene in Napa by his friend Rocco, Midnight George, as he was known, became more serious about his rock and roll and was soon joining bands onstage. He was a regular fixture at the local open mic scene and even helped to start a few bands full of top musicians. He knew the lyrics to thousands of songs and a few years ago began performing his own original material. George was also a pinochle player and played with the same group of guys since he was 18 years old. They were his “other” family and they all remained very close for 50+ years. Although George had a PhD, he always loved art and when he got back to Napa from school, he began his career as a graphic artist and computer tech designing websites for businesses in the valley. He was self-employed and ran Midnight Graphics until his death. George was known as a nice guy who lived his life the way he wanted and did not compromise his desire to always do things the way he wanted. A bit of a nomad, a bit of a hippie, but was never a loner even though he never married. He loved his friends and his family and most people that he met and most of all, he loved his cat Lola. She came into his life in 2014 and he adored her. She now resides with one of his good friends. He was predeceased by his father George, his mother Frances and his brother Thomas. He is survived by his brother Robert, sister Janeen, brother James and sister in law Julia, sister in law Geri, his nephews Frank, Darrell, Jeffrey, niece Connie and great nephews and niece, Timothy, Braydon, JJ and Leah. He is also survived by his extended family Jim and Karen, Dan and Linda, Glenn and Kathy, Ira, Doug, Al, and his many loving friends. A special thank you from the family goes out to Candy who was always checking in on George or taking him to an appointment when his health turned and to all those that would show up with something to eat when he couldn’t get up and make dinner. George passed away on June 6, 2020. “Well I finally made it to heaven, And God just gave me his gitar He said you know up here in heaven, You know that everyone’s a star. Then the band said come join in, And just as I began to sing. Jesus and Elvis they both joined in, And I was singing with the kings” – Midnight George A celebration of his life, Georgefest-Midnight George’s Memorial Party is being put together for July by his friends and family. Details are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeFest-Midnight-Georges-Memorial-Party-Page-109777544106386/

Dr. George Michael DiRienzo Jr.

August 11, 1950 - June 6, 2020

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Dr. George Michael DiRienzo Jr.

August 11, 1950 - June 6, 2020

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