Obituary of Dominick Colavita

Dominick Paul Colavita, 92, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at The Oaks at Denville following a brief illness.

He leaves his wife of 69 years, Frances (DiMartino) Colavita; his son, Paul Colavita and his wife, Anna; his son, Richard Colavita and his wife, Anne; his daughter, Joan Colavita; his sister, Rachel (Colavita) Flinn; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and many close friends.

Born and raised in Newark, he was the son of the late Paul and Madeline (Mancinelli) Colavita. He was also predeceased by his brother, Joseph. Dom was a longtime resident of Chatham, NJ, before moving to The Oaks in 2014.

As a young man, Dom was a student at Wake Forest University, playing in the first Gator Bowl, before joining the U.S. Army Air Forces, where he was a sergeant stationed in the Aleutian Islands doing search-and-rescue. After serving in the Army, Dom attended Rider College. Upon graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Frances, in 1950.

While Dom spent his career as an accountant at Schering-Plough, his true passion was helping others. He was a member of his local Knights of Columbus chapter, and he was a longtime volunteer at Overlook Medical Center, discharging patients with a smile. He was quick to pick up a paintbrush and help turn a house into a home. He loved going to his grandchildren's sports games, telling jokes, and weekly poker nights at The Oaks, where he always brought the sambuca.  

Visitation will be from 2-5pm on Sunday, June 21, 2020, and funeral service will be from 11-11:45am on Monday, June 22, 2020 at Norman Dean Home for Services in Denville, NJ. Mausoleum Entombment will take place at 12:30pm on Monday, June 22, 2020 at Gate of Heaven Cemetery & Mausoleum in East Hanover, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Healing the Children, NJ (https://htcnj.org/) or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (https://jdrf.org).