Dominic Fraioli
Waterford — As the family of Dominic Fraioli, it is with immense gratitude, pride and love that we were able to witness and be a part of his extraordinary life, but also must, with broken hearts, announce his passing at 87. Dominic was a dynamic, warm and loving man who chose to live a life that was rooted in the family he deeply adored. In his own words, Dominic, a storyteller, had a host of readily available, but modest ways to describe himself including, “a babe in the woods,” “just an innocent bystander” or “flotsam and jetsam on the sea of life.” However, to his family, he was quite simply everything.
Dominic was born and raised in Mount Vernon, N.Y. He was the only son of immigrants Alfred and Rosalia (Giannetti) Fraioli. After losing his father at a young age, Dominic was set on a course to take care of everyone who was lucky enough to be counted or considered family. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, and then devoted himself to a career in electrical engineering that began at Bell Labs in New Jersey. After working at NUSC in New London, his career brought him to Italy where he would experience adventures that yielded years’ worth of repeatable stories.
However, without a doubt, for Dominic, his greatest and most cherished achievement was his family. Dominic was a devoted husband to his Adie Baby and their marriage spanned over 60 years. He was also an endless reservoir of love and pride for his children, Al (Amanda) and Laura Keogh (Dan). In addition, he is survived by his sister Lea Sternberg (Burt) whom he adored and is the only person who can rival his storytelling abilities; a brother-in-law Ray Pocoroba (Cathryn); and nephews, Jeff (Marlene) and David Sternberg; as well as Christopher Pocoroba (Nicole); and, finally, but not lastly as they were his ultimate pride and legacy, his granddaughters, Alice (Fraioli), Scarlett (Keogh) and Gabriella (Fraioli). He is also survived by a host of extended family and friends who always understood that, no matter when or how often, Dominic would always be there for them as long as they would be willing to listen to the stories they’d already heard.
In his retirement, he reveled in his time at home where he crafted a mean pasta sauce, enjoyed cruising the Long Island Sound in his boat the Ciao Bella, served on the Waterford Utility Commission and delighted in making the lives of his children and grandchildren better with his endless projects that were labors of love.
A graveside service will be held in honor of Dominic at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, 317 Bow Lane, Middletown. Donations in Dominic’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or, more simply, you can do as Dominic and raise a glass of red wine or make the choice to make someone you love happy today in his memory. For online condolences, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.