Stephen Lewis Cavalieri
Oct. 15, 1957 – Jul. 6, 2019
CAVALIERI, Stephen Lewis , 61, of Richmond, VA, left this earth on July 6, 2019, surrounded by family at Henrico Doctors Hospital, after fighting a long battle with cancer with his tenacious bulldog spirit.
He was preceded in death by his father, Albert Cavalieri. He is survived by his devoted wife, Susan; his three daughters, Natalie (James), Julia, and Olivia; his mother, Wanda; and his sisters, Denise Fike (Lane), Marie Floria (Ronnie), and Celeste Ellenberg (Mark).
Married for 39 years, Steve and Susan began dating their senior year at Council Rock High School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where Steve was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by their graduating class of 1975. Steve manifested this success in countless ways throughout his life. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he became a university scholar, graduating medical school in 1982. Following medical school, Steve served as a primary care physician with the National Health Care Service in a severely underserved community in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
In 1989, Steve and Susan moved from Philadelphia to Richmond when Steve joined the Associated Internists, Inc. practice at St. Mary’s Hospital, where he practiced internal medicine and garnered the adoration of his patients for 13 years. His wonderful bedside manner and astute diagnostic intellect made him a favorite personal physician for many of his physician colleagues.
When his own health precluded continuing his beloved clinical practice, he continued his dedication to improving health by turning his focus to serving larger populations of people. In 2002, he joined Coventry Healthcare as Senior Medical Director, enhancing his clinical career with national level managed care leadership, and eventually becoming Corporate Vice President of Medical Affairs for Medicare programs during his 11 year tenure.
From 2014 to 2016, Steve was Chief Medical Officer at inHEALTH, a division of the Central Virginia Health Network, while also serving as a consultant for the Bon Secours Health System. In 2016 he became Senior Vice President and CMO at Envera Health, empowering health systems to deliver their best patient care. Despite the challenges from his chronic illness, in 2017 Steve founded his company, Value Health Insights, LLC, a healthcare consulting firm providing insight and support in the new environment of value based care. Throughout his career, he became a highly recognized leader and visionary in developing care management programs that better engage patients, physicians, and health systems to enhance quality of care — something that no one else was doing.
Despite all of his professional milestones, Steve frequently reminded his family that his proudest accomplishment and greatest joy in life was having and raising his three daughters. A modern day Renaissance man, Steve did and loved it all. His interests spanned a vast and unusual spectrum of mathematics and science, music and poetry, food and wine, sports cars and motorcycles, yoga and meditation, philosophy and art, gardening and travel. He savored each sip of Cabernet, summer vegetable harvest, strum on his banjo, fascinating conversation, or new piece of information with the same joyful fervor, pouring his hallmark passion into any topic that intrigued him, until he knew everything there was to know.
Perhaps above all, his biggest passion was people — connecting to them on a deeper plane of understanding, fostering a rare type of human connection, and conversing even with perfect strangers in his most genuine, heartfelt way. An eternal student and teacher, instant friend, diehard romantic, and playful comedian, many call upon Steve’s inquisitive mind, infectious laugh, gregarious spirit, inspiring wisdom, and childlike enthusiasm.
He vehemently believed that living a great life begins with the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He followed this principle until the very end, working tirelessly to reach the fullest possible expression of himself, and encouraging others to do the same.
The Cavalieri family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the doctors and nurses who played a role in granting Steve his ‘five lives’: Dr. Elke Friedman; Dr. Jay Brooks; Dr. Ellen Kim; Dr. David Trent; Dr. Scott Radow; Dr. Wilmer K. Blaylock; and his guardian angel nurses, Kimmie at VCI and Alex at Henrico Doctors Hospital.
A celebration of Steve’s life will be held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Friday, August 9th. Visitation will begin at 10am, with service at 11am and reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation online at https://www.clfoundation.org/giving-online or by mail at PO Box 374, Birmingham, MI, 48012.
My brilliant, funny, loving, brother…I love you!!! Words can not say how wonderful a man, father, husband, brother, doctor, a friend he was. His light will never go out in our hearts. My memories of him will be a warm and comforting touchstone. The impression on the hearts of the lives of all who knew him is impactful. His patients were cured and comforted as he genuinely cared for their well-being. His colleagues were enriched by his insight and perception. His children were given a lifetime of love, adventure and wisdom. His loving wife a love so deep it bonded through thick and thin. As his sister, I will cling to the laughter we had on our calls, his guidance when I needed it and the generous gift of his heart. I love you never seemed enough to say!
Steve,
You were(are)a wonderful man. We have worked together and several different capacities over the past 30 years. It is not hyperbole to say you are one of the finest physicians I have known. You know when you started working in the business end of medicine I was disappointed that the people of Richmond lost such a gifted clinician. But, to my surprise, you remained the same smart, caring, curious and involved person I knew before. I have never before or since spoken to a to a business man doctor who listened who cared about the patient like you. You are( were) unique.
Your legacy though is so much more than your work. Thank you for inviting me into a closer relationship with your family through your daughter and wife. Your character lives on in the goodness that is clearly evident in the people you loved and who loved you.
You will not be replaced.
Rest well my friend.
Mike
Steve,
You were(are)a wonderful man. We have worked together in several different capacities over the past 30 years. It is not hyperbole to say you are one of the finest physicians I have known. You know when you started working in the business end of medicine I was disappointed that the people of Richmond lost such a gifted clinician. But, to my surprise, you remained the same smart, caring, curious and involved person I knew before. I have never before or since spoken to a to a business man doctor who listened who cared about the patient like you. You are( were) unique.
Your legacy though is so much more than your work. Thank you for inviting me into a closer relationship with your family through your daughter and wife. Your character lives on in the goodness that is clearly evident in the people you loved and who loved you.
You will not be replaced.
Rest well my friend.
Mike
I don’t know what to say except that I am glad I got the chance to know him. Even in the unfortunate circumstance, he was ever the optimist and always sporting that big smile. My prayer are with his family, his spirit will live forever in your hearts.
Kimie
Une des plus jolies rencontres qui m’es été de faire, j’aurais tant aimé qu’il soit présent et que nous aurions été réunis pour le mariage de nos enfants.
Paix ai son âme.
Philippe.
Steve and I attended school together, beginning in kindergarten, through our senior year in high school. My experience of Steve was that he was incredibly bright and funny. In the 6th grade, I remember the day that it occurred to me that Steve was truly gifted in mathematics and science. We lost touch as we went through our high school years, but I had a blast getting to know sweet Sue. Their love story made me smile because I knew that two great people had found one another. My heart breaks for Sue and their girls because their hearts are broken. He would not want you to be sad. Celebrate the joy you shared. Celebrate this every day – even in the smallest ways by laughing at some funny thing he said or did. Steve loved to laugh. He will laugh with you from Heaven.
May God give you His peace and comfort.
Much love,
Laura
I don’t know where to begin to describe the kind of inspiration Steve has been to a person going through the formidable challenges of medical training. Steve’s knowledge was complemented by being a deeply thoughtful and considerate man, an invaluable mix of traits both in modern medicine and in society. I’ve always aspired to be that kind of physician and human being. More importantly, however, he valued and appreciated things outside of the daunting confines of his profession. His immense pride over the accomplishments of his daughters and his love for his wife and soulmate all radiated from him. You could engage Steve on any topic and be led into an intricate and fascinating conversation. I learned so much in every interaction. Above all else, I hope to live as Steve lived: mindful of the gift that we are given in taking care of patients and advancing the art of medicine, but even more so recognizing and relishing the rest of our existence that makes our lives whole and makes us better doctors and humans. Thank you, Steve.
I met Steve when Susan and I worked at Pocahontas Middle School in the early 2000’s. I liked his sense of humor and he was my go to friend whenever I had a medical question. When Steve met my late husband, they immediately clicked and until the day he left this earth, I loved and cherished our friendship. Susan, you were a dedicated and loving caregiver and you gave everything you had, everyday to your beloved husband. I love you Sue and I am here if you need me.
Steve and I worked together for 8 years at Coventry. He and I started about the same time and I worked for him for about 4 years. As others have said, Steve was amazingly smart, quick witted and a great study of people. He loved a good argument (I’m sure in part because he rarely lost one!) I however didn’t enjoy the sport so much! Much like Steve, this was my first non-clinical job after leaving practice. He was so instrumental in helping me understand, organize and problem solve in this new environment and it laid the groundwork for all my work since then. I considered him a mentor and friend. We shared a love of good food and sports cars!
Though I think I only met Susan once briefly enough to say “Hi”, after working with Steve I felt like I knew her. He deeply loved you and was so proud of the work you did with students and also how phenomenal you were caring for him through all the challenges. After one cancer battle was won and you both took a trip to Italy, upon his return he confided in me that it was like “a second honeymoon!” I didn’t think his love for you could get deeper…but it had.
As for his girls, Olivia, Natalie and Julia.: He loved you unconditionally and was so proud of you! He would share all of your successes and never had a negative word to say. He worried for your futures like all good fathers and was deliberate and thoughtful in how he wanted to encourage and nurture you….fully appreciating that each of you was “unique” and would require different styles that he would work hard to complement. He taught me a lot about being a good father.
Steve was one of those “larger than life” individuals. He has left us too soon. I know God has him in the palm of His hand. He will always guide and protect you Susan, Julia, Natalie and Olivia. It will take time but don’t stay “down”, Steve wants you to enjoy life to the fullest…make that part of his legacy. He will be by your side with that big proud smile!
Just finding out that a man I respected so deeply has left this earth… way too soon.
We only knew each other a short time, working together at Coventry just prior to their buyout by Aetna but we spoke several times on the phone about everything and nothing. I remember our deep conversations not only about Medicare, the CMS, care management, our families, what we valued in life, motor cycles, fast cars and overall healthcare. He so loved his family, and was a man who loved to show his love of them.
I learned so much from you… and I think you taught me even more to never stop learning… to be constantly inquisitive.
God Bless you Dr. Cavalieri. I know you and God will bless your family. I can actually see you and God having some great conversations. Rest In Peace my friend.