BEVERLY: It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Domingos Anthony Cecilio. Dom passed away quietly with his family at his bedside on Monday, April 13, 2015 at Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. The family is grateful for the exceptional kind and compassionate care given to him and to his family during his last days at Kaplan.
Domingos was born at home in Gloucester on August 17, 1929 to Joseph and Turibia (Maia) Cecilio. He attended Gloucester High School.
At a very young age he became a commercial fisherman on the Portuguese boats, often traveling up to the Grand Banks in Nova Scotia. In 1953 he proudly entered and served as Staff Sargent in the U.S. Army during the Korean War until 1955 and served an additional 6 yrs. with the Army Reserves. He and his wife Shirley moved to Beverly in 1958 to raise a family. Dom worked at GTE Sylvania in Danvers until his retirement after more than thirty years. For many of those years he was a very active member and chief steward of the Lynn Chapter of the Teamsters Local 42.
He enjoyed gardening and the thrill of playing the lottery along with the suspense of his favorite scratch-off tickets. He loved his time spent with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many will remember his boisterous jokes and laughter, his love and pride in his Portuguese roots and his generous spirit.
He was an advocate for many involved with any sort of challenge navigating a tangled bureaucracy or providing information for friends having difficulty with lengthy forms and any applications process.
Dom leaves behind his wife, Shirley Lane Cecilio and his 3 children, Donna, Kevin and Paul, along with many grand and great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and his sister, Johanna and brothers, John and Manny. He was preceded in passing by 5 of his brothers and numerous other family members who all remained precious to him in memory and will welcome him home.
Per Dom’s request, there will be a private celebration of his life, to be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675. Interment will be held in the Veterans Section of North Beverly Cemetery.