Vincent Americo Caggiano

Vincent Amerigo Caggiano, born on July 28, 1930, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2026. He was born and raised in Queens, New York, to Italian immigrants John and Elvira. He was the youngest of three siblings, growing up alongside his older brother Frank and his sister Louise.

After completing high school at Newton High School in Corona, Queens, Vincent attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. Following graduation, he answered his country’s call to serve in the Navy, where he was stationed on the destroyer USS The Sullivans from 1952 to 1954. Upon his honorable discharge, he continued his education at Columbia University and then attended the University of Bologna Medical School, earning his degree in 1960.

During his time in Bologna, Vincent met Biba, a native of the city, who would become the love of his life. They dated throughout his years in medical school and married in June 1960. Soon after, they moved to Long Island, New York, where Vincent began his medical career at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and Biba worked at an Italian bank. After completing his residency, Vincent pursued a fellowship in Hematology and began teaching at both the university and medical school levels.

Wishing to start a family, they adopted their first daughter, Carla, in 1967. They remained on Long Island until Vincent’s desire to enter private practice led them across the country to Sacramento, California where he established himself as a Hematologist-Oncologist. Their family grew when they adopted their second daughter, Paola, in 1972.

Soon after, Vincent took a break from private practice to serve as Director of the Sacramento Blood Bank. The Blood Bank, located on the lower level of East Sac’s unique 24-foot-tall concrete water reservoir tower, carried a bit of spooky lore for the neighborhood children, who imagined it was full of blood. It was only fitting that he would dress as Dracula for Halloween, adding to the legend.

In 1983, Vincent began what he considered his life’s work as Director of the Sutter Cancer Center. Known for his exceptional bedside manner and dedication to patient care, he arranged for the chemotherapy area to overlook the windows facing Sutter’s Fort so patients could enjoy a beautiful view during their treatment. His office was conveniently located right next to Biba’s restaurant—so close that he could walk from the Cancer Center’s back door directly into the kitchen. This made it easy for him to join Biba for lunch before returning quickly to his patients.

Throughout his 30-year tenure at the Cancer Center, Vincent served as a Professor at UC Davis Medical School, published many articles, papers, and book contributions, and was an active member on numerous boards and committees. He was honored to sit on the Sutter Medical Center Foundation Board, helping to fundraise for what would become the new Sutter Medical Center in midtown.

Although he didn’t save much time for hobbies, he nurtured his passion for wine by curating the wine list at Biba’s restaurant, which included taking staff on memorable wine tasting trips to Napa and Paso Robles. He also served as a judge for the CA State Fair Wine Competition and was a trend-setting “blogger,” sharing wine and food pairing tips on his “Doc’s Corner” Facebook page long before blogging became popular.

He was a voracious reader, and you could find him at home with a book in one hand and a pipe in the other (in his younger years), as music filled the room from legends like Pavarotti and Bocelli to Sinatra and Belafonte. At family dinners, he enjoyed quizzing his daughters on little known medical facts, like how many bones are in the human body. He cherished his sons-in-law, Tim and Brian, and took great delight in the laughter and energy of his six grandchildren.

Vincent is preceded in death by his parents, John and Elvira; his brother, Frank; his sister-in-law, Marisa; his sister, Louise; his brother-in-law, Larry; and his beloved wife, Biba. He is survived by his daughters, Carla Caggiano Elkins (Tim) and Paola Caggiano McNamara (Brian), and his grandchildren: Andrew and Alexander Elkins, and Aidan, Will, Lucy, and Jack McNamara.

Service Information

Services will be held on Tuesday, May 12th at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento. A reception will follow in the Garden Room. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream of the service will be available to watch from home. The service will be broadcast and recorded at:https://www.viewlogies.net/east-lawn-east-sac/-XNCp-QUu?pin='414144 .

The PIN is: 414-144