Julian A. Domingo

Julian Alvermore Domingo passed away on October 4, 2018, just short of his 92nd birthday.  Julian was born on November 22, 1926 in New York City.  His parents, Julian, Sr. and Vanita Alberta Rhymer Domingo had each come to New York from the Virgin Islands in 1923, joining other relatives and friends who had arrived years earlier.  Julian was the eldest of seven children born to Julian, Sr. and Vanita.  He was predeceased by all of his siblings — Joyce, Jerome, Julio, Juliette, Joel, and Julius.  Since he was a junior, Julian grew up with the nickname “Sonny.”  As a young adult he insisted that he be called by his middle name, “Al,” but ultimately he preferred to be known as Julian. 

Julian grew up in Harlem and was educated in the New York City public school system.  He was among the first black students to attend the new Benjamin Franklin High School in Little Italy on the border of East Harlem.  In high school, he competed in fencing and swimming and also developed a love of bicycle riding.  He would stay fit by swimming and cycling throughout his life. 

After high school, at the end of World War II, Julian served a tour of duty in the US Army.  As a member of the Army’s swim team, he traveled throughout the South and won many medals.  In the 1950’s and 1960’s, he often worked a second job as a summer lifeguard at New York City’s Rockaway Beach and Thomas Jefferson Swimming Pool. 

Soon after returning from the Army, Julian began his career at the United States Postal Service.  Beginning as a clerk, he subsequently held a number of supervisory positions in the New York/New Jersey area.  In the late 1940’s Julian also met the love of his life, his life partner, Olive DeWindt.  She had just moved to New York from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. They married in 1950 and raised their four children together, Jannette, Jerrold (deceased), Jacqueline, and Julia.

Julian’s life in New York City was rich with extended family and longtime friends, Third Moravian Church responsibilities, and work related activities ranging from participating in training courses to playing tenor saxophone and clarinet in the Post Office marching band.  Nevertheless, in 1974 Julian, Olive and their youngest daughter, Julia moved to Bowie, Maryland in order to allow him to advance his career by accepting a senior management position in the new regional bulk mail processing center. Julian retired in 1987 after more than 39 years of service.  At retirement, he held the title of Master Instructor.  In that capacity he traveled around the United States and to several foreign countries, including Kuwait, Spain, Great Britain, and Germany, guiding the implementation of new automated systems for handling bulk mail.   After retirement, he continued to teach and consult for a short time. 

Julian enjoyed spirited debates, especially with his younger siblings, other family members and friends. He avidly followed current events.  He loved to read.  He always had a book in hand and read the Washington Post from cover to cover.  He believed strongly in education and in educating oneself.  Before leaving New York, he had fulfilled a long standing desire to further his education, obtaining an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems from Borough of Manhattan Community College.

In his post retirement years, Julian continued to read and debate current events.  He rode his bicycle well into his 80’s, swam until he was 90, and enjoyed traveling —especially cruising —  with Olive.  But he also developed new interests.  He became a champion pool player at the Bowie Senior Center.  He served for many years as an election official in Bowie.  His card playing morphed from the pinocle and bid whist games of earlier days to bridge, and he shifted from playing music to listening as an astute fan of jazz.  Most of all, throughout his life, Julian loved his family.  His family was his pride and joy. Just last year he was excited to welcome his first great granddaughter, Eden Richardson.

On October 4, 2018, after a brief period of declining health, Julian passed away peacefully, with his immediate family at his bedside. He leaves to mourn his wife Olive; daughters Jannette Domingo, Jacqueline Domingo-Mbayo, and Julia Domingo; son Milton Davis and his partner Lorraine Lordi; grandchildren Jenai Domingo Richardson (Emond), Justin Domingo, and Marisa Davis; great granddaughter, Eden Richardson; sons-in-law Clifford Charles and Boga Marcellin Mbayo; brothers-in-law Warren and Allen DeWindt; sisters-in-law, Viola DeWindt Joseph, Violet DeWindt, Olivia Domingo, Julia Domingo and Lola Atkins; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws; his lifelong friends Malcolm Prince and Charles Bishop, and his Cameron Grove neighbors.