Dominic "The Dominator" John Mancuso

Dominic John Mancuso, 27, passed away on March 17, 2013, after a heroic and valiant battle with brain cancer, which began in January of 2010. Dominic was the first child of Russell and Janette Mancuso, born November 2, 1985, in Joliet, IL.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March, 23, 2013 at 3:30PM at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27612. The family will receive friends Friday, March 22, 2013, from 6:00 – 9:00PM at Mitchell Funeral Home.

Dominic attended schools in Naperville, IL, Monroe, CT, Aurora, CO, Cary, NC, and graduated from Raleigh’s Enloe High School in 2004. His gregarious personality allowed him to move effortlessly from state to state, developing lifelong friendships along the way. Dom graduated from Wingate University in 2008.

Early on, Dominic enjoyed Pee-Wee football, T-ball, and Karate. In high school, he thoroughly enjoyed traveling with the RHYA Raleigh Storm hockey team, playing goalie. In addition, he played long pole defense on Enloe High School’s first ever lacrosse team. His teammates will attest to the fact that although he didn’t care much for the practice drills, he was fearless and intense when he played the game.

His ultimate passion was for fast cars, enjoying drag racing his 2002 Camaro Mecham, 408 Iron Block with 98mm turbo and 6-speed transmission. Nothing thrilled him more! In more recent years, he could be seen around town driving his silver 2005 Dodge Viper convertible; he absolutely loved that car! He was a gun enthusiast and enjoyed many hours at the shooting range with his dad. He showed a softer side to his family, being the loving and supportive big brother to his sister, Nina, who was always following in her brother’s footsteps, and was his Mom & Dad’s pride and joy. He had a particularly close relationship with his Mom, each being the rock each could lean on when needed.

Dominic is survived by his parents, Russell and Janette; sister, Nina Ann Mancuso; maternal grandmother, Mildred Olha, of Homer Glen, IL; aunt, Patti Van Cleave (Mark) and cousins, Tyler and Spencer Shelton, of Aurora, IL; aunt, JoAnn Mancuso and cousin, Rob Fasino, of New York, NY; and his two fun loving dogs, Pancakes and Lily, as well as a multitude of phenomenal friends. He was preceded in death by his fraternal grandparents, Michael Russell Sr. and Anna Francis Mancuso; uncle, Michael Russell Mancuso, Jr.; maternal grandfather, John Stephen Olha; and uncle, John Michael Olha.

The family wishes to thank the nurses and doctors at Duke Cancer Center, in particular, Dr. Tulika Ranjan, who fought with great determination to give Dominic the best treatments available.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Durham, NC.