Dominic H. Aldi

Regarding COVID-19;

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LIFE STORY

Dominic Henry Aldi, age 92 of Wayne, passed Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at the Paramus Veterans Home. He was a dearly loved husband, dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa. He loved his family and was loved and admired back. He always appreciated his life and all the blessings God gave to him. This is evidenced by his grandson Dave saying “Grandpa made good us of every moment in life.”  As a matter of fact he loved it when a grandchild was born as he would carry them for long strolls all around the house in his loving arms.

He was born in Southington, Connecticut to Gennaro and Mary Aldi. The family moved to live at a residence on East 18th Street in Paterson where Dominic was raised. He graduated from Eastside High School and enlisted in the US Navy in June of 1945 just at the end of WWII.  When he left civilian life he was working as a color mixer for the Chadwick Screen Printing Company in Paterson. Dominic served aboard the USS Shields and the USS Norris.  He was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, the American Theatre Medal, and the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Medal for his service before being honorably discharged in August of 1946. Later in life he mastered the art of flying airplanes and joined the US Coast Guard as a flight instructor when he was in his 70’s.  Dominic had many fond memories of teaching pilots and especially enjoyed trips along the East Coast.  He looked forward to grabbing lunch at distant locations like Boston before flying back home patrolling the skies.

After his service in the Navy he returned to the textile industry in Paterson where he worked as a ribbon dyer.  He was always a hard worker and was determined to become an owner of his own dye house in Paterson.  Dominic retired from the Paterson textile industry as an owner of North Jersey Skein Dye Company in Paterson.

“Our dad celebrated life,” said his daughter Estelle and son Dominic-“his interest and creativity were boundless.”  Dominic was also a perfectionist. Dad didn’t sit by and wait for things to come to him, rather he made things happen. Dad, the painter whose masterpieces resembled Monet’s; dad, the sculpture, after buying clay from Michaels, started with his first project of forming the Pieta! Dad, the captain of his boat, a 56’ Ocean with a flying bridge he named Blue Moon that was berthed in Cape May.  When he would bring this boat in to its slip the neighboring boat owners were often on guard so he didn’t damage their boats as he tried to dock this behemoth.  Dad, the airplane pilot who owned several planes including open cockpit aircraft. Dominic would drop Estelle off at the mall where she loved to shop and he would go out flying for hours. He would do stalls and loop-de-loops with his planes directly over their home in Wayne which was something Estelle wanted no part of.  He would then come home and tell his kids how dangerous that was and that they were never to do such things.  He will be lovingly remembered as a quiet man with a strong personality and a huge soft heart…he truly loved life.  He was creative, a doer, and as the expression goes-never had grass growing under his feet.

In his 70’s he decided that he wanted to play the piano. So that he did.  He bought books, an extended baby-grand piano, and went on-line for instruction. When that wasn’t enough, he registered at William Paterson University for piano instruction. When this eager 74ish young gentleman sat down the young students they thought he was the instructor. No, dad was one of them and very proud to be able to learn. He was an avid photographer who had an artistic eye and a dark room in his basement.  His children were often the subject of his photos but he also freelanced as a photographer and even shot a wedding or two. His mathematical mind was always seeking a challenge, however, he would say he was absent from school when they taught spelling-that always gave his kids a laugh.

Dominic met Estelle when she, along with her full college studies, took on a part-time job to earn a little income.  She was an elevator operator at Quackenbush’s department store in downtown Paterson.  On one particular day, she had a passenger that just wouldn’t get off the elevator; Dominic Aldi.  Dominic was home on leave from the U.S. Navy and he was shopping with some friends at Quackenbush’s.  From the moment he saw Estelle on the elevator, he was smitten.  He just kept riding the elevator, unwilling to get off until she agreed to go out on a date with him.  Eventually she caved in and their first date was set.  Dominic went to her house to pick her up and, much to Dom’s surprise, she took him to church - and not just to Mass, but to confession. Since it was Saturday, it was just the right thing to do. Surely this wasn’t what he had in mind for their first date, but like the gentleman that he is, he was happy to oblige her.  Their wedding followed a year or so later, on March 28, 1948 at St. Anthony’s RC Church in Butler.  After a honeymoon to Niagara Falls, they lived at her parent’s home before settling to their new home they designed together in Wayne in 1951.  They made for an interesting couple, and enjoyed the most wonderful and fortunate marriage that they could have ever hoped for.  Their home was always filled with big band music and their home radiated with the sounds of Benny Goodman and the like. During their early years in Wayne Dominic and Estelle were founding parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church.  They were focused on giving their children the gift of faith and all attended Mass at the Schuyler Colfax Junior High School as the church was being built.  As a matter of fact Dominic would walk the streets in the Jackson Avenue area of Wayne and collect pledges and donations from the local residents. Dominic and Estelle enjoyed sixty-nine years of loving and devoted marriage before her passing on April 27, 2017. They are now reunited together again in God’s loving embrace…but will be missed by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Dominic was the loving husband to the late Estelle Aldi (d.2017); devoted father of  two children; Estelle Meyer of Wayne and her late husband Jake (d.2017), and Dominic of Wayne; cherished grandfather of five grandchildren; David Meyer and his wife Nancy of Wayne, Sherry Ligouri and her husband Jerry of Salt Lake City, Utah, Jessica Rowe and her husband Chris of Wayne, Christine Placko and her husband Bill of Oak Ridge, and Melissa Lyons and her husband Sterling of Sandy, Utah; dearly loved great-grandfather of eleven great-grandchildren; Kayla, Shayna, Heather, Chloe, Sabrina, Daniella, Dominic, Lily, Bryce, Bane and Sage; he was the loved brother of Marion Klepacki of North Haledon.