Zoilo Victor Dominguez

Zoilo Victor Domínguez, almost 82 years old, died on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at 7:47 p.m. with his family holding his hands and telling him how much he was loved.  Zoilo is survived by his wife of 53 years, Angela Viola Domínguez; his eldest daughter, Pía Aurelia Salazar and husband Jesús Salazar and their children Téa and Diego; his youngest daughter, Reta Isabel Domínguez and her children Zoilo and Aurelia; his two sisters, in Argentina, Reta Paz Domínguez and Isabel Pérez Domínguez; nieces, María Isabel Paz Domínguez (Alberto Posse), María Carolina Paz Domínguez (Aníbal Picon), María Alejandra Paz Domínguez (Horacio Vallejo), Patricia Pérez Domínguez (Julio Ousset), Ana María Pérez Domínguez (Vlado Vukojicic); and numerous other nieces and nephews in the United States.  Zoilo was preceded in death by his father, Jose Santiago Domínguez, his mother, Aurelia Rosario Rabuffetti Domínguez, and his infant son, Zoilo Felipe.

Zoilo was born in Santiago del Estero, Argentina on Sunday, January 1, 1939, to José Santiago Domínguez and Aurelia Rosario Rabuffetti Domínguez.  His father died when he was 4 years old and his mother moved the family to San Miguel de Tucumán.  He started playing basketball at age 15 years, first playing for Club San Martin and later playing for Club All Boys in Tucumán.  In 1963, Zoilo made the Argentine National Team and played in the World Championship in Brazil.  Standing 6’ 8” tall, Zoilo was the first player above the height of 6’ 6” to play for Argentina in the World Championships.   Zoilo played so well that he was offered the opportunity to play professionally in Italy but chose instead to accept a basketball scholarship to play and study in the United States.

Zoilo arrived in Albuquerque, NM in October of 1963 to play basketball for the Don’s at St. Joseph’s College, later called the University of Albuquerque, not knowing any English.  In his freshman year, he broke the school’s shooting and rebounding records.  Zoilo was named NAIA All-American honorable mention in 1965 and NAIA First Team All-District and All-American in 1966.  He had a standout basketball career, playing over 100 games in college and averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds a game.  Zoilo was selected as one of Tucumán’s 100 sport’s idols in the years 1912-2012 in a book written by Víctor F. Lupo.  Zoilo graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

On April Fool’s Day, 1967, Zoilo married Angela Viola Rael and decided to reside permanently in the United States.  He was an extremely devoted son to his mother Aurelia in Tucumán writing letters and sending pictures every single day.  He was greatly loved by his sisters and his nieces in Argentina.  As children, Zoilo took his daughters Pía and Reta to Argentina numerous times so they would know their Abuelita Aurelia and he maintained life-long and cherished friendships in Tucumán.

Zoilo worked as superintendent for Bob Rutherford Construction Company for 31 years and was known for his demand for hard work and attention to detail.  After his retirement, he maintained a residence in Argentina where he wintered every year in Tucumán, sitting in outdoor cafes, meeting up with old friends and going to asados.  Zoilo was greatly loved on two continents and was missed whenever he left one for the other.  In 1989, Zoilo became a citizen of the United States while maintaining his citizenship in Argentina.

Zoilo was unforgettable in so many ways.  He was very handsome yet extremely imposing-a giant not only in stature but also in the size of his heart - especially for his family.  He adored his daughters and grandchildren and loved them unconditionally.  For them, he would do absolutely anything, including building masonry walls, welding custom outdoor tables, constructing life-size trial exhibits, cooking countless batches of homemade Italian salsa, storing live goats in his garage without asking any questions, cooking dinners for his family, helping with every party, picking up grandchildren from school and countless sport practices and dropping whatever he was doing to run many errands on their behalf.  While he could be intimidating, Zoilo was the man who always whistled for the ice cream truck and bought popsicles for all the neighborhood children, called to make sure you arrived at your destination safely, visited you in the hospital, and took homeless men blankets and hamburgers every winter when the temperatures went below freezing.  Zoilo was extremely strong and coordinated and would entertain his family by riding a bicycle backwards, walking on his hands, and being a human helicopter swinging his two daughters at the same time. He was a compulsive protector and, even in their adulthood, would never stop constantly reminding his daughters to “Lock the Doors!”  He had the funniest, often inappropriate, sense of humor, always making his family and friends laugh even when they didn’t understand his jokes.

Zoilo always lived his life on his own terms. Despite serious and debilitating lung illnesses, Zoilo remained strong and proud to the very end.  While he helped everyone with anything, Zoilo had a very hard time accepting help from others.  In his last year, he was very grateful for all the care provided by his loving family, especially his devoted wife “Bayola” and for the delicious meals cooked by his adored son-in-law, Jesús.

Zoilo wished to be cremated.  His ashes will be divided between Sile, New Mexico and the family mausoleum in Tucumán.  A Memorial in Zoilo’s honor, complete with Argentine tangos, Malbec and Milanesa, will be held in Albuquerque next summer and in Argentina in December 2021, to celebrate a man who will always be remembered and enormously missed.