Dominic J. Bizzaro's Obituary
Dominic Joseph (Don) Bizzaro, loving husband, devoted father and committed Christian, died Wednesday, April 4. He was 93. A child of Italian immigrants, Don was born in Smethport, PA, on Oct. 2, 1918, and raised in the nearby town of Bradford, located just south of the New York state border. As a young adult, he excelled in sports, including baseball and football, and boxed on both the amateur and professional levels. In 1938, Don settled in Miami, where he met Florida native Edith Marie Fernald, whom he married in 1941 and with whom he raised three children. Edith died in 1993. Upon America’s entry into World War II, Don was inducted into the U.S. Army and served stateside during that conflict. After being honorably discharged, he returned to Miami to continue a career devoted primarily to the hotel service industry. Until his retirement in 1981, Don was employed by such establishments as the old Colonial Hotel in downtown Miami and the Fontainebleau and Seville hotels on Miami Beach. He became Cabana Manager at the Seville when it opened 1955 and held that position until his retirement. Shortly after retiring, Don was baptized at, and became an active member of, Shenandoah Baptist Church, which Edith had helped to establish years earlier. While there, he was ordained as a deacon and became active in the church’s governance. He also devoted countless hours in service to the Gideons. Don and Edith later became members of University Baptist Church in Coral Gables, where Don’s church activism continued. In 1985, his interest turned to the jail ministry and he eventually became head volunteer chaplain at Miami-Dade County’s Metro West Detention Center. Most of his 27 years in that ministry was spent at Metro West, where on March 23, 2012 the chapel at the 3,098- bed facility was named in his honor. During that ceremony, dignitaries proclaimed Dominic Joseph Bizzaro Day in the City of Miami and bestowed other honors upon him. Throughout the years, Don’s life revolved around three distinct families: his wife and children; his church brothers and sisters; and the men and women with whom he served at Metro West. Informing all those relationships was his dedication to the mission of spreading the message of Jesus Christ. Though well into middle age when he first took up golf, Don quickly became adept at the sport and continued to play regularly into his 90s. Even in his later years, he opted to walk the course rather than ride in a cart, enjoying the exercise he received as much as the game itself. Also sharing a prominent place in his heart were the athletic teams of the University of Florida, a passion that often put him at good natured odds with friends whose ties were with the University of Miami and Florida State University. Among the highlights of his later life was attending, as the guest of his UF alumnus granddaughter, the 2008 NCAA Football championship game in Miami, where the Gators won their third title. In addition to his wife, Edith, Don was preceded in death by his first-born son, Donald Bizzaro. He is survived by his daughter, Mary Watson and her husband, A.J., of Pine Island; his son, Joseph Bizzaro and his wife, Sharon, of Tallahassee; his daughter-in-law, Donna Bizzaro of Miami; granddaughter Tamarah Blanco and her husband, Robert, and two great grandchildren, Gabriella and Roberto Blanco, all of Miami; three step-grandchildren, Vance Kibler and his wife, Sheri, of Casselberry; Valerie Kibler and her partner, Valerie Sullivan of Tallahassee; and Lora Kibler of Marianna; and three great grand step-children. Visitation April 9th, Monday 6 – 9 pm at VAN ORSDEL CORAL GABLES CHAPEL. A Memorial Celebration will be held April 10th, Tuesday 11 am in the chapel of University Baptist Church in Coral Gables. Burial will be private.
What’s your fondest memory of Dominic?
What’s a lesson you learned from Dominic?
Share a story where Dominic's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Dominic you’ll never forget.
How did Dominic make you smile?
