Dominic P. Toscani ’50 died on December 6, 2021, in Wayne, Pennsylvania

Dominic P. Toscani Sr.

(The following was provided by the Dignity Memorial on December 6, 2021)

Dominic P. Toscani Sr. died peacefully at his home on December 6, 2021. He is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Nancy (née Gerace) Toscani.; his children, Lisa, preceded in death, Dom, Jr, Patrice (Rick), Gerry (Tina), Nancy (Mike), Sandi (Frank), Mark, Regina, MaryBeth (Patrick), Matthew, as well as seventeen grandkids, Max, Niki, Tony, Carly, Dominic, Doug, Alex, Michael, Julianna, Joey, Gerard, Alessandra, Gianna, Marco, Christina, Brianna, and Damien; and two great-grandkids, Caden, and Eli. Born on September 30, 1928, in Philadelphia, he was the youngest of nine children. He entered Girard College at 16 years of age. From there, he received a scholarship to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and went onto become the quarterback of the Bowdoin Bears. Upon graduating, he served two years in the Army during the Korean War. Dominic entered Penn Law School and ranked in the top 10% nationwide in the bar exam. He practiced law for twelve years before pursuing a career as an entrepreneur.

Dom became the CEO of Paris Business Forms in April of 1964, which still is going strong today. Growing up in the Great Depression, Dom knew the value of charity firsthand. Losing his father at the young age of five left his mother to raise him and seven siblings. When all seemed lost, his family turned to their Catholic faith. Being a devout Catholic, Dom devoted his life to helping others in need.

Dom established the Caritas Foundation, a private family nonprofit institution. Caritas is a Latin word chosen by his brother, Fr. Peter Toscani, which translates to “love family.” A majority of the donations have gone to small Catholic colleges “that are faithful to the Magisterium” as well as providing water to a remote villages in Nigeria and Peru and also built homes in Nicaragua. Dom spent his golden years being charitable. If you ask him why, the answer is simple. He’s a “product of charity.”

The love of football has always been part of his life. He became friends with the Villanova football coach Dick Bedesem in 1975. He could be seen often on the field at their practices and attended all of their games. He was enthusiastic about talking about plays that he thought would work well for the program. When the football program was dropped in 1980, Dom was an instrumental figure in working with former players, coaches, and staff to bring the program back. He held many golf outings to support bringing the program back and to unite the players. His first outing he labeled, “The Last Harrah” and when football was reinstated, he fondly labeled the outing, “The First Hello.” Dom was the bridge from the pre-dropping players to the coach and to the current regime. Dom showed the way and his vision is emulated in the Villanova football club.

Dom had a contagious laugh and was full of immense energy. If you ask many that knew him, they would all agree that his greatest impact on them was what he taught them about life; Never let anyone outwork or out prepare you. Treat others with respect. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Always persevere! He often talked about how grateful he was and appreciative towards his siblings for the sacrifices they made so that he could attend Girard College High School and Bowdoin College.

His most profound message was the importance of love and family. His devotion to Nancy, his ten children, his grandchildren, and great grandchildren were his most important treasures. Family was all that mattered to Dom.

An excerpt from an article published in the Penn Law Journal best sums up his life:

“Self-preservation is inescapable and we all think of ourselves first, but we have to always think of others and serve others,”Toscani declares “That’s part of being in a community—helping your teammates, helping the people that share common goals, and helping strangers. That’s where the real growth of a community and goodness occurs down to the most basic level.”

Buonanotte Dio vi benedica e dica le vostre preghiere (Good night, God bless you, Say your prayers)