A Look Into the Life of Wil D’Arcangelo
{ LuAnn Thibodeau }
To say that Wil D’Arcangelo is an amazing person is an understatement. He’s a great dad, a wonderful husband, an awesome son, and definitely a blessing to all of us who call him a friend.
I first met Wil in 2005, when he was singing at the first knitathon that we had for Warmer Winters, a local nonprofit organization where I am a member of the board of directors. I was certainly impressed with his voice and talent, and immediately bought his then current CD- Tuesday Is The New Saturday, and I still listen to it today. Wil and I have remained friends through the years, and while I know about the big things and events in his life, it was great to learn the background stories that made him the man he is today.
Wil grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. When he was a around five or six, he began to question things about who he was. He did go to church sometimes, and by the time he was in the fifth grade, he began to go regularly, because it was a safe place, free from the bullying that was a part of his life at school and on the playground.
By his own admission, Wil wasn’t a very good student, according to standards that the world recognizes. In high school, he had D’s and F’s, all because of homework and issues with arbitrary rules. Perhaps that’s why his philosophy on education is going to be put into practice really soon. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. More on that later.
After high school, Wil went to acting school at The American Academy of Arts in New York. He paid his way through school by working as a stripper. He said that it was a great way to get to know a lot about people, particularly those who had been marginalized, put down because of who they were, bullied, etc. At the age of twenty, Wil came out and told folks that he was gay. His family and friends were very accepting, and only wanted him to be happy.
When he graduated and for twenty years after, Wil was involved in theater and singing. He wrote his first song in 2005. He was mostly a jazz singer, and I can personally attest to the fact that he has a golden voice. But something was missing- and Wil wanted to give back and help others who, like him, were struggling in school and being bullied. So, he became a substitute teacher at very high school where he graduated. He also was a mentor to many of his students.
While working as a substitute teacher, Wil’s job was to provide the lessons that the teachers had left, but he wanted to do more. He approached the administration and told them that he wanted to start a program for students who wanted to be involved in music and theater. This was the beginning of The Tribe. The Tribe had its own classroom, sort of like a garage band space. And the students loved it.
Wil and The Tribe recorded an album entitled Strange Among The Different. Check it out on YouTube- you’ll be amazed. The album has 250 people who were involved in the singing and production, ranging in age from 8 to 72.
One student who really took to the new group was someone whose name you probably know quite well, thanks to her success on America’s Got Talent. That young lady is Lavender D’Arcangelo (although that was not her last name at the time when she was in school). Lavender became Wil’s assistant. Due to not having a family with whom she lived, Lavender was staying with friends- couch surfing, as she said. She asked Wil to adopt her, but he explained that he was her teacher and that’s not the way things work. Well, I guess you could say that it was going to be the way they would work.
Wil met Jamie and fell in love. He had returned to college to study theology, and Jamie was pursuing his degree in nursing (he is currently an RN in Fitchburg). Wil was still working with The Tribe, who also loved Jamie. Fast forward a bit to 2015 when Wil and Jamie got married. And it was destined to be- on the day that Wil and Jamie returned from their honeymoon, they legally adopted Lavender, making their family complete.
While he was in seminary, Wil was serving as a deacon at Rollstone Congregational Church in Fitchburg, until he found that the Universal Unitarian community was what he truly embraced. “In the name of love, we say amen”. Wil was called to be the minister at the UU Church in Fitchburg while in his second year of seminary, and graduated with a second master’s degree in 2017, in divinity and global inter-religion leadership. And in 2019, the UU Church in Lancaster reached out to him to become their minister. He was ordained at that church in 2022.
Wil was serving both congregations, until the month of June this year, when he left the Fitchburg church. He felt that he had fulfilled his calling there, but still serves the congregation in Lancaster. And although he was raised in Fitchburg, Lancaster has a strong connection to him as well…his family are among the ones who founded Lancaster.
In addition to his church duties, what is Wil doing now? He is working on an album with Lavender, which is very exciting for the whole family. And also very exciting is that Lavender’s dream of starting an Autism Charter School is well on its way to becoming a reality.
It will start as K- 2, adding a grade each year. Eventually, it will be K-12, with an adult program as well.
So, to say that Wil has his plate full is definitely true. But there is no doubt in my mind that he, Lavender, and Jamie will accomplish all of this and more. And I, along with many others, can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.