Dominique D'Agostini

There are not enough words in the English language (or the French or Italian ones either) to describe the impact that Dominique D’Agostini made during his time with us. He was a friend to many and he was loved by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Dominique was a true self-made man, and the embodiment of the American dream. He was a builder, a fixer, a tinkerer and a handyman extraordinaire. He was also a husband, father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend. His family, particularly his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandson, were the lights of his life.

Dominique was peacefully taken home to the Lord on November 12, 2014, surrounded by his devoted family. As the patriarch of the D’Agostini family, Dominique was respected and beloved by his wife, children, grandchildren, friends and relatives. Dominique was born on June 7, 1933 in Lyon, France to Ernesto and Antonia D’Agostini. He was the third of five sons, Joseph, Jerry, Alfred and Emil, and the last surviving D’Agostini son. His family takes comfort in knowing that Dominique was greeted warmly in Heaven by his brothers, parents and too many friends and relatives to count.

Dominique lived a long and prosperous life, with many accomplishments to show for himself. In 1952, at the age of 19, he arrived in this country. Though poor and not formally educated, he and his brothers worked hard to take advantage of all of the opportunities that America offered. It wasn’t an easy life, but through hard work and skilled craftsmanship, the brothers would eventually prosper. He and his brothers started businesses together, all of them in the construction field. He remained close with his brothers and their families his entire life.

In 1956, Dominique married the love of his life, his childhood sweetheart, Cathy. They met as children in Italy, as family friends. Dominique and Cathy lived in Hawthorne, California, and welcomed daughter Diane in 1958 and son Frank in 1960. Dominique was a wonderful and devoted family man. He and Cathy’s love story was the kind that people aspire to. They doted on each other, took care of each other and relished time spent with their family, hosting weekly Sunday dinners, along with holidays and celebrations, sometimes for no reason at all than to enjoy a party.

Dominique did well in business, and in 1972, he moved his family to a sprawling property in Vista, California, where they still live today. Dominique was the first of his family to move to Vista, but everyone soon followed.

Maintaining his property, affectionately known as “The Compound,” was one of Dominique’s greatest pleasures. Most days, Dominique could be found tinkering away on one project or another, riding around on his golf cart, four-wheeler or tractor, rain or shine. Although, if it was raining, he always wore his cowboy hat.

Dominique had a great love for cowboys and western culture. He loved watching black-and-white cowboy movies, and he raised animals on his farm, including horses, chickens, sheep, peacocks and even, for a short time, emus. Soon, his farm was converted into a mock western town, providing his grandchildren and nieces and nephews (and their friends) with their very own life-sized western play town. He would also let school children have field trips to his cowboy town. “Cowboy Town” is a symbol of the creativity and imagination that Dominique possessed. If he could dream it, he could build it. He was known to photograph specific structures to recreate on his cowboy town. He would sketch out ideas and put them into action. Aside from being a skilled builder and craftsman, Dominique was also a gifted and creative artist. He was always precise and always thorough.

Although Dominique is often described as soft-spoken or a man of few words, he had an infectious sense of humor and could often be heard cracking wise and making people laugh. He was humble, ethical and kind, a true old-fashioned gentleman. Good-natured to the core, his family can rarely recall him ever getting angry or raising his voice. Although, on the rare occasion that he did, we knew he was right and we listened.

Dominique was very active in the Italian-American community of Vista, hosting many events and celebrations throughout the years. His famous Cowboy Town was the site of many a “festa,” an Italian celebration. He was proud of his heritage and happy to share it with his family.

Dominique is survived by his wife, Cathy D'Agostini, his son and daughter-in-law, Frank and Melissa D'Agostini, his daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Glenn Ianni, his grandchildren, Nicole Ianni, Jennifer Ianni, Amanda and Joe Saldana, Nick D'Agostini, Derek D'Agostini and Michael and Isabel D'Agostini, and his great-grandson, Jayden Saldana. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Josette D'Agostini, Aurelia D'Agostini, Aida D'Agostini and Anna Ianni, his brothers-in-law Emile Ianni and Rico Ianni, and their families.

While we, his family, are feeling a profound sadness at the loss of Dominique, we know that his was a life well-lived. The legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable, but it is seen in the relationships we have built with one another. We are all connected because of Dominique and his brothers. To use a builder's term, family is the foundation and we have built an extraordinary one. They were our models, and we can only hope to be as good as these brothers were. We know that we were blessed to have Dominique in our lives for as long as we got him. We also know that the D’Agostini brothers are together in Heaven, sipping cognac and looking down on us, proud of the family they built.