Paul Martin Ciatti

Paul Martin Ciatti, 84, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, died peacefully on March 9, 2026, at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church. Born on August 19, 1941, in Washington, D.C., to Italo and Margaret (Buco) Ciatti, he lived a life marked by deep faith, humility, gratitude, and a quiet commitment to serving others.

After graduating from St. Bernadette’s Catholic School in Silver Spring, Maryland, St. John’s College High School in Washington in 1959, and St. Bernard’s College in Cullman, Alabama, in 1964, Paul began a distinguished 39-year career in public service. He served for 20 years as a United States Secret Service special agent, from August 1965 to August 1985, including protective assignments on the Vice Presidential details for Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and Walter Mondale. He later continued investigative work with the Office of Special Counsel and the Office of Personnel Management. Colleagues remembered him as a steady presence who inspired others through his positive attitude, integrity, and high ethical standards.

Above all, Paul cherished his family. He shared nearly 62 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Nancy Marie (Puglisi) Ciatti, and took great pride in his children and grandchildren. He lived by the simple principle that the greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother. Whether attending school plays, concerts, recitals, or sporting events, he was a constant, encouraging presence in the lives of his grandchildren—Emilia, Luciana, Angela, Christina, Joseph, Lyle, and Anna—and held deep affection for his extended Ciatti and Puglisi families across four generations.

Paul also found lasting joy in sports. A talented athlete in his youth, he played for legendary coaches at St. John’s College High School and in the Clark Griffith Memorial League, and was inducted into the St. John’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. He later coached baseball for many years with American Legion Post 48 and Paul VI Catholic High School, teaching young athletes the value of honesty, hustle, resilience, and attention to detail. He and Nancy were instrumental in the early growth of Paul VI High School, where their children graduated, and both were inducted into the Paul VI Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020. In his community, Paul led the Fairfax Station Neighborhood Watch and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus St. Mary of Sorrows Council 8600.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Marie, their children Michael and Julia (Ward) Ciatti, Daniel and Monica (Shutte) Ciatti, and Cara (Ciatti) and Brooke Hardin, his seven grandchildren, his sister Marjorie (Ciatti) Mack and her husband Richard, and his brothers- and sisters-in-law. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws Joseph and Josephine Puglisi, and his brother-in-law Joseph Gleason. He will be remembered for his kindness, steady faith, sense of humor, and the quiet strength he brought to everyone who knew him.