Dorothy Mancini

Dorothy Judith (Faragalli) Mancini, 84, of Pompano Beach, FL, passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Dorothy was born October 29, 1941, to Vincent and Philomena (Tortu) Faragalli in Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The oldest of three daughters, Dorothy was 15 when her mother passed away at age 39. She then helped her father, then Chief of Police in Bristol Borough, PA, raise her two younger sisters who were 11 (Lorraine Marie) and 5 (Joyce Ann).

She was the editor of her Bristol High School newspaper and a member of the field hockey team. After graduating from high school, she attended then-Temple University Hospital School of Nursing for three years, passing her state board examination in 1962 to become a Registered Nurse. At her graduation from nursing school, she was recognized with the “Outstanding Bedside Nurse Award.” There were five women named Dorothy in her nursing school class. She recalled that it was a popular name at that time, and all of them went by “Dottie,” so that’s when Dorothy became Dottie, and sometimes Dot. After graduation, Dottie started as a staff nurse on a surgical unit at Temple University Hospital and later as an evening and night supervisor. She married Frank Mancini on June 20, 1964.

In 1972, she and Frank and their two daughters moved to Vineland, New Jersey, and Dorothy began working as a staff nurse at Newcomb Hospital, later becoming head nurse of a telemetry unit monitoring cardiac patients, and earning other progressively responsible supervisory positions. A lifelong learner, Dottie went back to night school at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) while her daughters were in elementary school and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in School Nursing Education in 1977.

She and Frank moved to Pompano Beach, Florida in 1986, and once she was settled into her new home, Dottie stopped by Imperial Point Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale to see about putting her experience and skills to good use. Recognizing their good fortune, Imperial Point hired her immediately as a night supervisor, and within months promoted her to Director of Nursing in 1988. Several years later she was promoted toCNO/COO. Again, she went back to school on evenings and weekends, earning a Master of Business Administration degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Miami in 1996.

That same year, Dottie broke a glass ceiling by becoming the first female and first RN to become CEO at Imperial Point Medical Center, a role she cherished until her retirement on June 29, 2007. Dorothy believed that every single employee deserved respect and often showed up in the middle of the night to visit the late-shift employees and patients. During her tenure as CEO, Imperial Point experienced enormous success, both financially and as demonstrated by its consistently high customer satisfaction ratings. Dottie was named Best Hospital CEO by Florida Medical Business in 2003 and Pompano Beach Chamber and Pompano Economic Group’s “Business Woman of the Year” in 2004. In 2004, she also received the “Health and Wellness Award” from the Women’s Circle Council of the Fort Lauderdale Chamber, and in 2008, she was honored with the Wilbur F. Helmus Medical Humanitarian Award by the Caducean Society of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Upon her retirement, her staff gave her a “white glove” award to note her meticulous attention to facility cleanliness that always resulted in high scores on Joint Commission inspections.

Dottie was active with the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives, American Association of Nurse Executives, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. Committed to the community, Dottie served on the boards of the United Way and Community Blood Centers. She was an active member of the Pompano Rotary Club and the Fort Lauderdale Executives Association. Following her long career as a registered nurse and hospital executive, the Broward Health Park at Imperial Point (6520 NE 22nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale) was named “Dottie Mancini Park” in her honor and in recognition of her outstanding leadership and dedication to patient care (now “Broward Health Park at Imperial Point Honoring Dottie Mancini”).

In her personal time, Dottie enjoyed entertaining family and friends. They could count on hours of competitive poker and Hand and Foot card games and lunch or dinner at J. Mark’s, her favorite restaurant. In recent years, she enjoyed Scrabble and theme parties with her wonderful neighbors. An avid tennis spectator, Dottie knew more about past and current tennis players than most. One of her last pleasures on this earth was watching the 2026 French Open Men’s Final with her daughter and grandson. Her family loved “Gram’s” lasagna at Thanksgiving, chocolate pudding pies, and steak and chicken cutlets. In her last week, she said, “Write this down: The thing I’m most proud of is my daughters and how they grew up to be outstanding citizens and the degrees they earned post-high school.” She adored her grandchildren and loved to take them shopping individually. She cheered for the Blue Devils in NCAA men’s basketball, since both daughters, a son-in-law, and a grandson earned degrees from Duke University.

Dottie was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Philomena Tortu Faragalli; her husband of nearly 55 years, Frank Mancini; and her beloved granddaughter Gabriella Gutierrez. She is survived by her daughters Tracy Mancini(Norris Cotton) of Beaufort, NC, and Tina Gutierrez (Giraldo) of Pembroke Pines, FL; her fantastic and most-loved grandchildren Noah Constantine of Brooklyn, NY, Sophia Gutierrez of New York, NY, and USAF 1st Lt. Ethan Gutierrez currently stationed at Robins Air Force Base, GA; her sisters Lorraine Brut of Elkins Park, PA, and Joyce Angellella (Louis) of Millsboro, DE; sisters-in-law Elizabeth Brown of Flagler Beach, FL, and Elizabeth Mancini of Novi, MI; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, good friends, and neighbors.

Family and close friends will celebrate Dottie’s life with at memorial service on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Horizon Funeral Home in Lighthouse Point, FL 33064 . In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Dottie Mancini Nursing Scholarship, c/o Carteret Community College Foundation, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557, or the Donate link at www.carteret.edu.