Dr. Frank W. DiChiara

was born in Providence, R.I. on August 21, 1929. He was the son of the late Salvatore and Mary (Aceto) DiChiara. He was the beloved husband of Esther (Bontempo) DiChiara for 62 years until her passing in December 2021.

He graduated from LaSalle Academy, completed his pre-medical courses at Providence College and graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, now Salus University. He did an internship at Rhode Island Hospital, Ophthalmology Section.

He served in the Army and was stationed at the Eye Clinic in Colorado, at Fort Carson Army Hospital where he was instrumental in examining over five thousand troops. He then served at the Eye Clinic at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

He started his Optometry practice in April, 1956, which is now Garden City Eye Care in Cranston, Rhode Island. In 1959 he became the Director of the Low Vision Clinic at the Rhode Island Association for the Blind, now called In-Sight. He headed the clinic for thirty years. He wrote several articles on Low Vision and lectured on Low Vision many times throughout the United States. At a twentieth anniversary of the clinic he chaired a two day program on Low Vision and had speakers from all over the country. It was attended by doctors, assistants and ancillary personnel in the Low Vision field as well as patients.

Dr. Dichiara became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 1970 and became a Diplomate in Low Vision in 1980. He was the first Diplomate in Low Vision in Rhode Island and the twenty-seventh in the United States. He renewed his Diplomate every five years until he was given Emeritus status in 2005.

He served as President of the RI Optometric Association, Chair of the RI Board of examiners and licensing in Optometry and a member of the Medical Licensing Board at the RI Division of Motor Vehicles. He chaired the education committee of the RI Optometric Association for many years, introducing many innovative ideas and procedures to the profession.

He was honored twice by his colleagues with the Optometrist of the Year Award in 1980 for his many contributions to the profession and the Distinguished Service Award in 1987, the highest award the Association gave at that time. He was named Alumnus of the Year by Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1998. In 2007, the Rhode Island Optometric Association presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. DiChiara. He was the first Doctor to receive this most prestigious award in over one hundred years

Dr. DiChiara assisted Dr. William Padula of Connecticut to establish a Low Vision Section of the American Optometric Association, which he subsequently chaired. He was instrumental in producing a manual on Low Vision. He was presented with the highest award the Section provides, The Low Vision Care Award in 1998.

Dr. DiChiara practiced in Cranston, R.I. for nearly sixty years, until his retirement at age 83.

Dr. DiChiara served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers of Rhode Island for twenty years and they honored him with the Humanitarian Award in 2004. He was a member of many cultural and civic organizations. He was in the Boy Scouts for nearly ten years, achieving the rank of Life and completed all twenty-one merit badges for Eagle. He was a member of the Clavis Cultural Club, member of the City Hall Athletic Club, member of St. Mary’s Feast Society, President of the School Guild and President of the Renaissance Lodge. He was a member of the Footlight Players and appeared in such plays as Arsenic and Old Lace. He was a member of the Alpine Country Club and a member of the Rally Point Tennis Club, where he chaired a charity for the Heart Association. He served as President of the Mount Pleasant Lions Club where he was able to obtain over one million dollars in new eyeglass frames and donated them to Dr. Modi, who ran a free eye clinic in India.  Although they never met, they became friends through correspondence and telephone calls.

He enjoyed playing tennis and golf for many years, retiring from tennis at age 75 and golf at 85. He also enjoyed playing cards and taught his two granddaughters how to play Bridge. He also played Chess and taught his son and grandson how to play. They both were able to beat Papa. Guess he was a good teacher. He spent a lot of time doing woodworking, and made many napkin holders, paper towel holders, shoeshine boxes, coat racks and magazine racks and gave them all away to his friends. There is one thing that he really liked to do and that was dancing. He danced for over seventy years and when the Cha-Cha became popular he taught many how to dance. When the television show “Dancing with the Stars” came out, it became his and Esther’s favorite show.

Although he was encouraged to write a book on Low Vision, his specialty for fifty-four years, it wasn’t until he was ninety years old that he decided to compile a book on Low Vision. He managed to gather eleven colleagues and other professionals who specialize in Low Vision and compiled a book, entitled “Rehabilitation for the Visually Impaired”.

He was an icon in the field of Optometry and continued to contribute to his profession every day of his life.

He leaves his daughter Dr. Louise DiChiara Pastore and his son Frank W. DiChiara and his wife, Elaine. He was Papa to his three grandchildren, Elena Anne Pastore, Christina Chiara Pastore and Peter Thomas Pastore III, whom he had a special relationship with, one he enjoyed for many years. He was the father-in-law of the late Cranston City Council President, Peter T.  Pastore, Jr.  He was also predeceased by his siblings, Michael, Peter, and Anthony DiChiara and Angela Maccarone. He leaves many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

Funeral from the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME & Crematory, 1278 Park Ave., Cranston on Tuesday at 9:00 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in Immaculate Conception Church, Cranston. Entombment will follow in Sts. Peter & Paul Mausoleum in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston. VISITING HOURS will be held on Monday from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: IN-SIGHT, 43 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, RI 02888.