This past Saturday early morning, June 13, 2026, Dominick Richard “Dom” Ibelli passed away peacefully at the age of 85 at White Plains Hospital, with Margaret, his loving wife of 57 years, by his side.

Dom was born in Manhattan on July 24, 1940, to Dominick and Elizabeth Ibelli. Alongside his sister, Betty, he was raised near Arthur Avenue in the Little Italy section of The Bronx.

For years, Dom would regale friends and guests with stories of life in the “Godfather” section of town, detailing colorful neighborhood characters ranging from childhood classmates to organized crime figures.

Dom excelled at track and baseball—though the street game of handball remained his absolute favorite. After school, he worked at his father’s tire shop alongside various other odd jobs.

A 1958 graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School, Dom later enrolled in the RCA technical school to study communications systems, solidifying a new position with the company.

In his off hours, he drove passengers to and from local airports to save for the future and to provide for his sister and mother following his father's untimely passing.

Dom’s career eventually transitioned to Pan Am, where he traveled extensively, managing phone reservation systems in major flight hubs throughout the United States and Canada.

In 1966, he met the love of his life, Margaret Emma Bonizio, a Hunter College graduate and Bronx schoolteacher. Two years later, they wed on City Island on October 13, 1968. They began their married life in half of a two-family house directly across the street from Margaret’s childhood home in the Pelham Gardens section of the borough.

In 1971, Dom and Margaret welcomed their first child, Maryann Frances, followed two years later by their son, Dominick Michael. By 1976, Dom and Margaret had saved enough to move the family—along with Margaret’s mother, Nellie—ten minutes up the New England Thruway to their new home in Larchmont, New York.

Dom had found a beautiful Cape Colonial on a quiet cul-de-sac, complete with a cherry blossom tree in the front yard and a garden in the back. Overlooking a park, it provided a short, pleasant walk to his morning train into Manhattan. Reflecting on the decision to move north, he always loved to joke: “I looked at both Long Island and Westchester. Then I looked at the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North, and Westchester it is.”

Dom and Margaret made friends easily through local schools and Little League, volunteering their time to coach youth soccer and community activities. Many of these friends became annual staples at their legendary Christmas parties. Hosting up to 50 people, the gatherings were famous for Dom’s hand-built, table-length hero sandwiches and Margaret’s incredible lasagna and cookies.

Dom spent the final 20 years of his career working for MetLife as a Communications Systems Manager. He retired in his mid-50s—a pivotal decision that prolonged his life by decades. Though he had been a smoker for 40 years since high school, the release of corporate stress finally gave him the strength to quit permanently after multiple previous attempts.

In December 2003, at the age of 63, Dom survived a major heart attack; doctors attributed his survival in large part to his five years of living completely smoke-free. Dom went on to enjoy over 22 years of a quiet, beautiful retirement with Margaret in the home they built together.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Margaret; his son, Dominick; his daughter, Maryann; and his cherished grandchildren, Alex and Kayde.