Domenic Joseph Mirenzi

Our beloved Domenic peacefully passed away on Feb 3 surrounded by family and friends. He was born on September 14, 1932 in Braddock, PA to his devoted parents Anna Conforti Mirenzi and Domenic Mirenzi, Sr., both originally from Italy. Sadly, only two of his seven siblings survive today: Theresa Mirenzi Crouch of Oklahoma and Delores Mirenzi Carson of West Virginia, who have been a source of great comfort over the years, in addition to his sister-in-law Cathy Mirenzi of Pennsylvania. Dom was always so proud of his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews from all over the country. After graduating from high school, Dom went to work at the historic Edgar Thompson Steel Works in Braddock, founded in 1872 by the Carnegie brothers. There he learned to expertly fabricate industrial chain and cable. At 21, Dom was drafted into the U.S. Army in February 1953 during the Korean Conflict. Due to his excellent math skills, he was sent to the Seventh Army NCO Academy in Munich and trained in artillery targeting as part of the Army’s post-WWII occupation and reconstruction of Germany. Dom was honorably discharged in February 1955. In his later years he received hearing disability compensation from standing next to the big guns being fired without hearing protection. Dom returned home to Braddock and was later employed for many years by the American Chain and Cable Corporation initially for industrial fabrication. He was later promoted to inspector, which entailed extensive travel to industrial facilities throughout the U.S. In the late 1950’s he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he met the love of his life, Dorothy Barnes (deceased), a widow with a young daughter, Susan. Dom was an excellent father to Susan over the years, who he most patiently taught to drive before she graduated from high school. Retirement in the ‘80s allowed Dom to grow garden vegetables and cook his favorite Italian dishes of which he was so expert. He loved to watch professional baseball, football, and hockey, especially any team from Pittsburgh. Dom was an excellent catcher in league games as a young man in Braddock so baseball was always dear to his heart. When he and Dorothy moved to rural California Dom enjoyed fishing and occasional trips to Reno for gambling. The sad day eventually came when Dorothy had to be moved into a skilled nursing facility, but Dom, the ever-devoted spouse, would visit her daily throughout the afternoon without fail. He and Susan tearfully attended Dorothy’s peaceful passing in 2016. Soon after Dom joined Susan and her husband, Lin Hokana, in their move to Dammeron Valley, UT. They all fell in love with southwest Utah after visiting Dom’s life-long friend Jim Russo and his wife Wanda (deceased) of St. George. The Russos were like family and most holidays were shared together. Jim and Dom made many trips to Mesquite to stimulate that local economy, and sometimes returned home with a pocket a little fuller than when they left. Due to his veteran status, Dom was able to participate in a fabulous Utah Honor Flight to Washington, DC three years ago. He profoundly appreciated the experience which he was able to share with his son-in-law as his “guardian” on the trip. With his gift of gab Dom made instant friends with everyone he met. He was kind, warm, witty, generous, and larger than life. And his big Italian bear hugs were legendary! For his grand 90th Italian-themed birthday party, Dom played the part of a colorful and energetic “gondoliere” from Venice. He most thoroughly enjoyed the time shared with numerous new friends from Utah, such as the Sciutos of Dammeron Valley and long-time friends the Thompsons from Sacramento. Over the years Dom needed fairly extensive healthcare and the entire family was thankful for the quality providers in St. George. Special thanks go to the excellent care he received from Dixie Hospice, Dr. Laffely, Dr. Nadauld and Dr. Rencher. However, despite his courageous battle against lung cancer over the years, the later won in the end. His pain is finally gone but friends and family will dearly miss Dom. Local friends and family paid their respects at the mortuary viewing on Feb. 8th. After cremation, the funeral will be on March 30th at 1:20 pm PST at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, NV. Memorial contributions can be made to Utah Honor Flight at https://www.utahhonorflight.org/donate/ or by mail to: Utah Honor Flight, PO Box 849, Riverton, UT 84065.

Domenic Joseph Mirenzi

September 14, 1932 - February 3, 2023