Dominic Paglia died unexpectedly on October 24. According to friends, he lived with a purpose to brighten the world through laughter. The echoes of that laughter have lifted his friends and family through their grief.
Paglia likely wouldn't have consider himself a fisherman, but he fished enough to own his own pole. His favorite place to cast his line? Out of a 5th floor window in Hennepin Hall. You might assume he never caught anything, but he once reeled in a screen that had inadvertently popped out. Baiting a hook and fishing for it may not have been the most practical approach, but Paglia wasn't interested in practical. He prefered the impractical hijinx - the bigger, the better, the funnier. Anything to hear you laugh.
Dom always tried to find the childish joy in life. He would put so much effort into something that would make somebody laugh for two seconds. But that's all that mattered, seeing that smile on your face."
Lynch and Paglia began dating in September of last year. One night as Lynch was falling asleep, she faintly heard Paglia's voice in the hallway. "That's the cute guy from across the hall," she remembers thinking. She got out of bed, got dressed, and went out to say hi. That's the moment she knew she liked him. Later that night, she casually removed his cowboy hat from the top of his head and tried it on. That's the moment he knew he liked her.
They spent almost every day together, including the hours before the sun came up. Lynch, a nursing student, would need to be in Schenectady for clinicals at dawn. She could have taken the shuttle, but Paglia insisted on waking up at 4:45 a.m. to drop her off. He would also be there waiting at the end of each shift to pick her up. He called their drives to and from campus, "Extra time with my little Mo."
When reminiscing, Lynch alternates between the sweet stories and the outrageous. Like the time he hid in the shadows before launching an assault of water balloons on an unsuspecting co-worker at a restaurant. Except, the balloons were filled with hot sauce, not water.
Every story - from the love notes he'd leave around her room to the Nerf gun fights he would wage through the town house - finished with the same epilogue: "he just did it to make people happy."
Paglia put so much energy into each laugh because that was his gift, and he shared it selflessly with everyone around him.
"Being in love with Dom was the greatest joy of my life. He never failed to make me feel like the most special girl in the world. Whether he was leaving me surprise notes around my room and in my lunchbox, hugging me while I was washing dishes, or making dinner with me, he brightened up every moment we shared. The only thing I will remember more than his ridiculous jokes is the smile he got from them immediately after saying them. His smile is in my heart forever even if he can't be in my arms today."
Maura Lynch '23
Dominic would gleefully drive a child's tractor into a giant mud puddle for the laugh. His creativity for spreading joy was boundless.
"Dom really was a shining light. Many times I'd be feeling down and he would walk into our room with something totally random like a five-foot tall wooden cutout of a whiskey bottle and 30 ping pong balls, or a fishing pole with a baby doll on the end. Seems stupid, but it always raised my spirits. He taught me to try to find the fun in everything I do. He had a way of thinking outside the box that reminded me of childhood bliss."
Tom Korth '23
"Anyone who had the opportunity to meet Dom got to see how bright and infectious his personality really was. Even if you wanted to be upset, you couldn't help but laugh at the many dad jokes he would crack."
Nick Andrus '23
"I would always have to wait at least 10 minutes for Dom to come out of his house when I picked him up, but it was worth it for the immediate one-liner or amusing anecdote/comment he would have as soon as he entered the car, always leaving me laughing. He was the funniest, kindest, most true-to-himself person I know, truly too kind for this world. I will miss him every day."
Gus Sayre '23
A memorial mass for Dominic will be held on Sunday, December 5 at 11 AM at the St. Mary of the Angels Chapel. A reception will follow the Mass where a buffet lunch will be served, community members will have a chance to share stories and memories, and members of the Paglia family will join us to celebrate the life of Dominic. Email Fr. Larry with questions.