The Delivery Boy
By Maria "Eja Picinich
Here's my story that I would like to share with everyone about Domenick.
People are probably wondering why I signed the Guestbook as "Mary" Picinich, when everyone calls me either Eja or Maria. Well, there are only two people that ever call me Mary, my dad who calls me "Meri" and then there was Domenick, whenever he saw me he would say, "Hi, Mary, how are you?" and then throughout our conversation he would continue to call me Mary. I never mentioned this to anyone, because I felt that was his special name for me. Domenick and I could almost be twins, we were born just 16 days apart, Domenick on the 3rd and I on the 19th of February. We went to school together at Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, and together with our cousin Nicky we received our First Holy Communion. I have plenty of pictures of that special day, with me in the middle and these two handsome fellas, Domenick and Nicky, to the side of me.
In the last couple of years, Domenick had become my very own personal "delivery boy." Whenever his wife, mom, or sisters needed to get something to me down in Hoboken, or I needed to get something to them, Domenick was always ready, willing, and able to be the delivery man. There were many times he would get out of work late at night, but still found the time to stop by my house to deliver the "package." He never complained that it was late or out of his way, he just did it. I don't know if I ever really thanked him enough for doing this for me, in a way we all just kind of took it in stride and always said, "Oh, Domenick could drop it off on his way to or from work." Just goes to show how we take everything for granted and how precious everyone really is in our lives.
Domenick, you have a beautiful family. Your wife, children, parents, sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews, they all miss you very much, but I know that you are watching over them and will always guide them and be with them.
Thank you Domenick for being in my life and as you live on in heaven, you will always live on in our hearts!
Love, "Mary"
People are probably wondering why I signed the Guestbook as "Mary" Picinich, when everyone calls me either Eja or Maria. Well, there are only two people that ever call me Mary, my dad who calls me "Meri" and then there was Domenick, whenever he saw me he would say, "Hi, Mary, how are you?" and then throughout our conversation he would continue to call me Mary. I never mentioned this to anyone, because I felt that was his special name for me. Domenick and I could almost be twins, we were born just 16 days apart, Domenick on the 3rd and I on the 19th of February. We went to school together at Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, and together with our cousin Nicky we received our First Holy Communion. I have plenty of pictures of that special day, with me in the middle and these two handsome fellas, Domenick and Nicky, to the side of me.
In the last couple of years, Domenick had become my very own personal "delivery boy." Whenever his wife, mom, or sisters needed to get something to me down in Hoboken, or I needed to get something to them, Domenick was always ready, willing, and able to be the delivery man. There were many times he would get out of work late at night, but still found the time to stop by my house to deliver the "package." He never complained that it was late or out of his way, he just did it. I don't know if I ever really thanked him enough for doing this for me, in a way we all just kind of took it in stride and always said, "Oh, Domenick could drop it off on his way to or from work." Just goes to show how we take everything for granted and how precious everyone really is in our lives.
Domenick, you have a beautiful family. Your wife, children, parents, sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews, they all miss you very much, but I know that you are watching over them and will always guide them and be with them.
Thank you Domenick for being in my life and as you live on in heaven, you will always live on in our hearts!
Love, "Mary"
"Fishing", Connections & Toothless Brown
By Brian Picinic
Oh the times! So many unforgettable ones. My Uncle Dom provided many great memories and I'm so happy that I was there for many of them.
I guess I need to start from the beginning. My earliest memories are of a post-college bachelor Dom. Dom and his buddies always looking to find that great night out. Greg and I used to be over Nona's house in Fort Lee and Dom would be getting ready to go out and he would tell us how he's going out "fishing", for women that is. We always wondered what that smelly stuff was he was spraying. He would clue us in as we grew up, and we finally realized that cologne was an important step to his "fishing" events.
I remember the times when he used to have friends over to play cards or for a barbeque. We would always have the privilege of being the bus boys. Dom and his friends were so generous. Their 25 cent tips made our day. We always looked forward to those nights.
As I grew up, Dom grew up too. He was still a kid at heart as always, but he finally stopped "fishing" and made the catch he had been looking for the whole time. Marla and Dom started a family and despite having their own kids, they didn't forget about us. Dom would often come to my athletic contests and participate in fundraisers for the teams I played on.
For some reason, Dom would always be interested. It was just his nature. He always wanted to make sure stuff was going well.
The times were always great.
Maybe it was because we had that same keen interest in sports, but he was always there when needed. I don't know how many times he got me tickets to sporting events, but I would say that over 75% of all the sporting events that I've been too (and I've been to a bunch) were free of charge thanks to Dom's connections. If there was one thing about Dom, it was that he knew everybody. If he didn't know someone, he would definitely know somebody who knew that someone. But when you have a keychain that says "HELP! I'm talking and I can't SHUT UP," you’re going to know some people.
These connections went far beyond the sporting events, though. After my first year at Florida State, Dom approached me and said his company might need some summer help in the accounting department. When he first mentioned it to me, I thought, "Wow, I'm going to be working in the World Trade Center. That's awesome." All of a sudden, after thinking about it, I had to tell Dom that there was no way I would make it there. I had no accounting experience whatsoever and my only other jobs had been officiating sports and working at a hot dog shop. All I kept thinking was how I would totally mess everything up and get Dom fired because he hired me. After all, the only reason I was there was because I was his nephew. But he encouraged me, "You'll be fine, and I'll be right across the hall if you need any help." Sure enough, he was so right. I wasn't the perfect accounting clerk, but with his help and the help of a couple of coworkers like James and Ishmael, I picked it up. It was a great summer and Dom was even able to get me a whole month of work in December during my winter break. Although everyone grows up in their college years, I really have Dom to thank for getting me that job because I learned so much about business and work in the real world those four or five months with Eurobrokers.
The times were always great.
The most I've ever laughed at one time had to be last December on the golf course down here in Florida. I won't go into details about the story, but we were laughing for about five straight holes. The Toothless Brown encounter in Cooperstown was classic as was the Limo Driver night at Mackay Ice with the Bombers.
The times were always great.
This past August I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in New Jersey. One of the last visual memories I will have of Dom was possibly one of the best. I was finally old enough to join Dom in Atlantic City. We sat down at the table at about midnight and didn't leave for quite a while.
The time flew by, but as always it was great.
Finally I will never forget the last night at his house before we left. His brand new house. We were about to exit and were giving our final goodbyes. I was lucky enough to get a handshake and a hug from Dom. He wished me luck with my new job and nothing but the best for my future. As always, encouraging me and caring about my wellbeing.
It's hard to see him go, but life isn't always easy. We'll all miss him. I only hope I can do half the things he did in life, have half the connections he had. Billy Joel's song says it best, "Only the good die young." Dom, you were a great Uncle, but an even better friend. Thanks for being there for all of us. You were a special part of my life, and I will never, ever forget that.
I guess I need to start from the beginning. My earliest memories are of a post-college bachelor Dom. Dom and his buddies always looking to find that great night out. Greg and I used to be over Nona's house in Fort Lee and Dom would be getting ready to go out and he would tell us how he's going out "fishing", for women that is. We always wondered what that smelly stuff was he was spraying. He would clue us in as we grew up, and we finally realized that cologne was an important step to his "fishing" events.
I remember the times when he used to have friends over to play cards or for a barbeque. We would always have the privilege of being the bus boys. Dom and his friends were so generous. Their 25 cent tips made our day. We always looked forward to those nights.
As I grew up, Dom grew up too. He was still a kid at heart as always, but he finally stopped "fishing" and made the catch he had been looking for the whole time. Marla and Dom started a family and despite having their own kids, they didn't forget about us. Dom would often come to my athletic contests and participate in fundraisers for the teams I played on.
For some reason, Dom would always be interested. It was just his nature. He always wanted to make sure stuff was going well.
The times were always great.
Maybe it was because we had that same keen interest in sports, but he was always there when needed. I don't know how many times he got me tickets to sporting events, but I would say that over 75% of all the sporting events that I've been too (and I've been to a bunch) were free of charge thanks to Dom's connections. If there was one thing about Dom, it was that he knew everybody. If he didn't know someone, he would definitely know somebody who knew that someone. But when you have a keychain that says "HELP! I'm talking and I can't SHUT UP," you’re going to know some people.
These connections went far beyond the sporting events, though. After my first year at Florida State, Dom approached me and said his company might need some summer help in the accounting department. When he first mentioned it to me, I thought, "Wow, I'm going to be working in the World Trade Center. That's awesome." All of a sudden, after thinking about it, I had to tell Dom that there was no way I would make it there. I had no accounting experience whatsoever and my only other jobs had been officiating sports and working at a hot dog shop. All I kept thinking was how I would totally mess everything up and get Dom fired because he hired me. After all, the only reason I was there was because I was his nephew. But he encouraged me, "You'll be fine, and I'll be right across the hall if you need any help." Sure enough, he was so right. I wasn't the perfect accounting clerk, but with his help and the help of a couple of coworkers like James and Ishmael, I picked it up. It was a great summer and Dom was even able to get me a whole month of work in December during my winter break. Although everyone grows up in their college years, I really have Dom to thank for getting me that job because I learned so much about business and work in the real world those four or five months with Eurobrokers.
The times were always great.
The most I've ever laughed at one time had to be last December on the golf course down here in Florida. I won't go into details about the story, but we were laughing for about five straight holes. The Toothless Brown encounter in Cooperstown was classic as was the Limo Driver night at Mackay Ice with the Bombers.
The times were always great.
This past August I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in New Jersey. One of the last visual memories I will have of Dom was possibly one of the best. I was finally old enough to join Dom in Atlantic City. We sat down at the table at about midnight and didn't leave for quite a while.
The time flew by, but as always it was great.
Finally I will never forget the last night at his house before we left. His brand new house. We were about to exit and were giving our final goodbyes. I was lucky enough to get a handshake and a hug from Dom. He wished me luck with my new job and nothing but the best for my future. As always, encouraging me and caring about my wellbeing.
It's hard to see him go, but life isn't always easy. We'll all miss him. I only hope I can do half the things he did in life, have half the connections he had. Billy Joel's song says it best, "Only the good die young." Dom, you were a great Uncle, but an even better friend. Thanks for being there for all of us. You were a special part of my life, and I will never, ever forget that.