Dom's Obituary

(As printed in the Bergen Record on 9/27/01) 

DOMENICK N. MIRCOVICH, 40, of Closter died Sept. 11 in the World Trade Center attack. He was an accountant for Eurobrokers, New York City, where he worked for 18 years. He was a graduate of Rider College. He was a parishioner of St. Mary R.C. Church, Closter.
Arrangements: Moritz Funeral Home, Closter.

Eulogies

At Dom's funeral mass, there were four eulogies read that were written by friends and family. Below you can read them in their entirety. They were all very moving and really captured Dom's existence on Earth while reliving some great memories.


Eulogy #1

Written by: Stelio "Stales" Picinic
Read by: Tony Iulo

As we gather in this place of worship, let the Lord Jesus lift up our sadness from this great loss we have encountered on this journey of life. Let us thank the Lord for blessing us with the presence of our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend, Domenick, for forty wonderful years.

From the time as a little boy working for Mr. Newman delivering bread and cookies all the way to his last day with Eurobrokers, Domenick went about his business with a smile on his face and a love for the world. And there was always a good story to go along with his daily activities. Domenick lived his life to the fullest and really left a positive impression with everyone he met.

With that said, I strongly believe that Domenick would not want us to be sad in this time of tragedy for all of us. He would want us all to go on with our lives with pride, doing good deeds as he often did, and loving this world and its people, especially those close to our hearts. He showed it many times by feeding the homeless at local shelters and while coaching youth sports in Closter. His love for sports was apparent every day, but he always made time for his family, friends, and the community. What a great way for us to continue his legacy of charity and his love for life, than to help our community, family, and friends each and every day just the same way he did.

In closing, I know Domenick is probably negotiating with our dear Lord this minute to remove all the sadness from our hearts. I know he will be looking out for all of us, so that we may conquer the major battles in life, so that our lives may be smooth and without difficulty. And as we honor his life on Earth today, Domenick is preparing a beautiful place in Heaven for his wife, kids, family, and friends, waiting for the day when we all join him at the most special party we will ever attend, our reunion with him and with our Lord.

May God bless all of us in this time of need and may we live each day as best we can because that is how Domenick would want it.


Eulogy #2
Written by: Robert "Dewars" Dwyer
Read by: Tony Iulo

When I was first asked to write a few words about Mosh (I never referred to him as Domenick), I couldn't find the courage to do so. But now, 2 1/2 weeks since the tragedy, I feel a bit more courageous. Besides, I can see him looking down and saying, "Don't ever be scared."

I don't want to be afraid because Mosh never was. He was not a swimmer, but that did not stop him from diving off the board into the water, because his friends were with him. On September 11, this courage and determination to help his fellow co-workers, who were in trouble, was evident.

Mosh loved his God, he loved his family, and he loved his friends. It didn't matter if he knew you all his life or for a couple of days, you instantly had a friend, A VERY TALKATIVE ONE. He was a man with many great stories to tell. I used to get my phone bill and say "Wow, who was I talking to for so long?" Each phone call to Mosh's office would always be the most expensive on my bill. Finally, I corrected this by hanging up on him and then he would call back.

When it came to making new friends, it was easy for Mosh. In 1985, while rehabbing my knee, he filled in for me playing hoops on Saturday. What I originally thought was a temporary position became permanent, as Mosh endeared himself to everyone in the group. It turned out many of these guys attended his wedding.

The new friendships continued. When Mosh heard of Friday night hockey, his friendship with Tony Iulo began and he added many more friends to his list with each Friday night. After years of great times together, Tony and his wife Patty were honored to become Godparents to the third child, Luiza.

His old school friends never took a back seat. Mac, Dino, Tony, Bob, and others were all there since grammar school, and I joined the club in high school. Then it was four years at Rider College for Mosh, including steak raffles and a whole new set of friends.

Not long after, he met Marla and his love for her was strong from the start. One day he said "Dude, I'm gonna ask Marls to marry me," and then paid for his engagement ring as the Bengals scored in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. I remember in Harpo's when he asked me to be his best man. I was proud to accept. Years later, my wife Moira and I attended Mosh's office Christmas party with Marla (who was pregnant). That night, they asked me to be the Godfather to Marisa.

As the years passed, he developed a tremendous love for his children. He took little Dom everywhere, even if he didn't want to go. He was great with the girls as well. Our families spent the last few Christmas Eve's together and it was wonderful.

And finally, for Mosh's 40th birthday in February, Tony and I wrote a song parody to Neil Young's Hey, Hey, My, My, which was one of Mosh's favorites. One line from that song is perfect without being changed. "The king is gone but not forgotten."

Eulogy #3

Written and read by: Kevin Leyden

Many people have given of themselves in all different ways the past two weeks and we have heard the word HERO mentioned time and time again, over and over, to describe those who have banded together to help each other through this time of senseless tragedy. Whether volunteering at the sites, giving blood, donating time and talent, food and clothing or money, the American people have come together in full strength to support those whose lives have been torn apart. There were also many HEROES of that day who sacrificed trying to help any way they could. I'd like to say a few words about one of those HEROES, Dom Mircovich.

Dom embodied all the characteristics of a HERO. Humble, Enthusiastic, Respectful, and Outstanding are just a few of the adjectives to describe Dom (H.E.R.O.).

If you take a minute and think of the nicest guy you know whether it be a father, brother, grandfather, coach, teacher, or co-worker and then multiply that by ten, then you get Dom Mircovich. I have only known Dom a few short years. I first met Dom through his sister Dina and nephews Brian and Greg who were students at St. Mary's in Closter and a few years ahead of my daughter Jenny. We would exchange pleasantries but I never had much dealings with Dom. He volunteered his time at the carnival at St. Mary's although none of his children went through the school. He was always there to lend a hand and you could count on his support.

It wasn't until my son's involvement with the Closter Recreation programs that I learned a little more about Dom and what a nice guy he was. My son Tommy is the same age as young Dom and Tommy was fortunate enough to have Big Dom as one of his first Rec coaches for baseball. Tommy was six or seven years old. When most kids are interested in kicking dirt around the infield or watching a worm in the outfield, Dom was there with his patient demeanor and praising the kids if they've done well and telling others that they would do better next time. When he told them to "Run Home," Dom would run a few steps with them between third and home plate to be sure that they knew not to leave Memorial Field and "Run Home!!!"

Our sons have played together on various town teams since that age and this past summer they were both on traveling team which was lucky enough to have a successful season. Dom was there in the stands cheering on each boy as if it were his own son each time at bat or making a good play in the field. His words of encouragement "Nice job" or "Way to go" helped all the boys feel good about their efforts.

In June before Dom and Marla moved into the new house, I offered my services and van to help him move some extra boxes if needed on moving day. He told me that he appreciated the offer but that he "had it covered." I see now the great group of friends and strong support from his family and I can certainly see why he "had it covered."

We thank Marla for letting Dom "come out and play with us." We are all better off in town to have known him. The kids are better to have been coached by him and we are all better to have befriended him. In echoing his words of encouragement and thanking him for his help, his time and his friendship to all of us, I'd like to say Dom "Nice job, Dom---Way to Go, Dom---Thank you Dom."


Eulogy #4
Written and read by: Daniel "Max" McManus

Where to begin. Thirty years of friendship. I never had trouble talking about my friends. Today might not be so easy.

What a guy. A great friend who was always there for us. He was loyal, honest, funny, caring, smart, irreplacable, and totally unforgettable.

A loving husband and father who never failed to realize that his family was the most important part of himself.

A devoted son who was always as proud of his parents as they were of him.

A caring brother who knew that growing up with four sisters had made him into the man that we all loved.

But we knew this already. What we didn't realize was that he was such a hero. A man who put his own safety aside to help others. So please stand now and give our hero the ovation that he deserves....

When you met him you were guaranteed one of three greetings: a handshake, a hug, or a high five. A handshake......like a man....straight and strong. A hug....from the heart. Or, a high five that you had better be ready for. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you got all three.

I have to tell a story that has kept coming to my mind for the last two weeks.

I don't even remember where we were going. But, a bunch of us were in the car with Mosh driving and we were hopelessly lost. Everyone was getting aggravated and blaming one another with Mosh taking most of it. When he turns to us and out of nowhere he says "here's a tour," you had to laugh. He was basically telling us to relax, enjoy the ride and that we would get to where we were going sooner or later. I've taken a lot of tours since then, but have never gotten lost. Sometimes, the tour was more fun than the original plan.

The point is that right now he is where we all hope to be some day...Heaven. He just found a shortcut by helping others. We're the ones that are still on the tour. But, to honor him we must take this tour called life and live it, love it and have fun with it. Knowing that when our tour is over, our hero will be waiting for us with handshakes, hugs and high fives.

God Bless America!