Dominic O. Saltalamacchia

Dominic O. Saltalamacchia, age 90, (originally from Brookline and a longtime resident of Roslindale) of Norwood, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in his home, with his wife Paula at his side.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole Street (Rt. 1A), NORWOOD on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 from 4-7 PM. Gathering the next morning in the Funeral Home (Thursday, March 12th) at 10 AM, we will process down the street to St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 547 Washington St, Norwood, for a Catholic Funeral Mass celebrating Dominic’s life at 11 AM. Immediately following the Funeral Mass, the family welcomes you to accompany them down to the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Avenue, Bourne, for a 1:45 PM Interment for Dominic who served in the United States Army. We will celebrate Dominic’s life together with family & friends in Bourne afterwards.

Dominic was the son of two Italian immigrants, the late John and Maria (Giuffre) Saltalamacchia. He had 7 brothers who preceded him. His mother always said that she had run out of names by the time he was born, and she named him “Dominic” because he was born on a Sunday, and “Ortavio” because he was their 8th son. Dom loved to play ball with his brothers, who made up almost a complete softball team. His favorite subject was math, and he loved to play basketball and football.

Dominic grew up in an area of Brookline called “Whiskey Point”. He graduated from Brookline High School in 1953. After graduation he started working at Western Electric in Watertown. With a profound sense of love for his country and following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Dominic left Western Electric and enlisted in the United States Army in 1957. As part of his Active Duty during the Berlin Crisis he was stationed in Germany with the 1st 15th Infantry until 1959, serving as the squad leader for the mortar team. He then continued in the US Army Reserves until 1963, being honorably discharged as a Sgt. While overseas, Dominic was able to travel throughout Europe while on leave and made lifelong friends with his military buddies. He was very proud of his service and was certainly the inspiration for both his son Michael, who served in the U.S. Air Force, and his grandson Jonathan, who served in the U.S. Marines.

Dominic met his wife, Paula, who was the sister of his brother’s wife, and married her in 1960. Their marriage was 65 years strong. During their early years, they lived in Jamaica Plain until they purchased their first home in Roslindale in 1967; where they lived in a two-apartment home with his mother and two brothers until 2011. During this time, he also earned his Associate’s degree from Newbury Jr. College with his sister-in-law Jan. After closing down the building at Western Electric after 37 years as a welder/woodworker Dom created a second career, doing windows for several years. He had many clients who were particularly fond of the man who would take off his shoes to meticulously clean their windows just right. He also did odd handyman jobs because his skills and perfection came into good use. Paula can point out several furniture pieces that Dom made by himself that she still has in her home in Norwood. He also lovingly engaged in several projects with his son and sons-in-laws and their many home improvements. He could fix anything with those “chubby Italian sausages” (he would call his fingers), and he would spend hours trying to figure out how to accomplish a difficult project. His hands were soft even though he had worked hard with them all his life.

Dom played basketball into his 60’s on a Men’s League. The other men were much younger than him, but that did not matter. He was very athletic and played a good solid game. Dominic was a great dancer and loved to dance, first with his wife, and then he would grab the next partner. If they were too small, they stood on his feet as they danced around the kitchen floor. He loved line dancing and his favorite dance was the “Alley Cat”. He had a favorite song he would sing called “Pino Pantaloni” and his favorite thing to do was to cook and to eat. He also loved an occasional Galliano and Limoncello; and even helped prepare the recipe with his family. His favorite day was Sunday when the children and grandchildren, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews would gather to eat and share in familiar conversation. You would find him cooking on the grill or playing basketball with the children outside. The day would end with either a game of cards or a hand of “Italian Poker” (using pennies instead of dollars). Dom and Paula’s favorite vacation spot was Deerpark in Lincoln, NH. He lovingly recounts the days sitting by the lake where he loved to spend his vacation just walking around the grounds with whoever was available. Dom made friends easily. He also spent a lot of time cooking in #22 and would sometimes spend the entire day so he could have spaghetti and meatballs ready for his family when they returned from their adventures.

Dominic was the devoted father of Linda Canniff and her husband Fred of Norwood, Paula Fasanello and her husband Joe of Fairhope Alabama, Marie Brooks and her husband Ryan of Walpole, and Michael Saltalamacchia and his wife Robyn who live in Shirley. He is survived by his very special grandchildren, Christina Canniff, Jennifer Canniff, Jonathan Canniff & his wife Ashley, Nicholas Fasanello & his wife Anna, Michele Fasanello, Tom Brooks, Kali Brooks, Hailey Brooks and Mia Saltalamacchia. He was also very close with his niece, Karen DiCenzo and her husband Mike. He was genuinely interested in every single one of his nieces and nephews who were equally smitten by his sense of humor and unique ability to make each person feel special. He also has five great-grandchildren, Makenzie, Jacob, Luetta, Sylvie and Aura. His face would light up every time he talked about them.

Please spend a moment on his Memorial Webpage and share a special memory or picture that comes to mind when you think of Dominic Saltalamacchia. He was a very dear and special man who will be sincerely missed by all who knew him. Our lives were better because of his love.

If you wish to express your sympathy to the Saltalamacchia family, please feel free to make a contribution in his memory to the West Roxbury VA Medical Center, 1400 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, Mass. 02132.