Dominick A. Lockwood
I worked as a 
Paralegal in a tiny law office in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It was a job that saved me in a lot of small ways. There were two Partners in that law firm, Dominick A. Lockwood and Janet Jackson and we were all like a family. One horrible morning, 15 years ago today, Dominick Lockwood was hit by a truck on Main Street in a town he loved so much.
I just remember pulling up on the accident, and I instantly saw the saddle shoes. It was summer, so he was wearing his summer seersucker suit and brown saddle shoes, but they were laying in the middle of the road, something was wrong, very wrong. The rest of that day was a blur of emergency rooms, phone calls, and tears. It was like I had lost my grandfather.
Fifteen years later, he still crosses my mind, and on June 6 every year I find myself smiling and remembering all the things about my dear friend Dominick, I’ll share just a few:
Not even Dominick’s wife really knew his age; it was a tightly kept secret.
He always had brand new $1.00 bills in his pockets, and whenever he saw a child, he would stop and talk to them and give them a few of those crisp dollars.
You could almost always seem him standing in the conference room of our office in front of the big windows doing the yoga pose Natarajasana or Lord of the Dance. He would finish and chuckle and say to me “Come on Gina, do the pose with me.”
When I was going through my first divorce, and my ex-husband sued me for full custody of my chickens because he said I was a horrible mother, Dominick would walk over to my desk and say “Gina, do you do drugs? Gina, are you a prostitute? Even those women still have custody of their children. Your children are going nowhere, ” and he was right.
He always had the New York times on him and two watches, one on each wrist each in a different time zone.
After 9/11 he came up to my desk and said: “Gina if I were just a few years younger, I’d sign up and defend our country.”
When my second ex-husband literarily threw all my stuff on the street and said me and my children were no longer living in his house, Dominick opened his home for us. My two kids and I sat at his kitchen table that evening, and he fed us, gave us beds to sleep in and once again said: “Gina, you’re going to be fine, it’s all going to be fine.” He would later help me purchase my first house as a single mom.
At Christmas time Dominick would drive around with a tree on the roof of his car, you could still see him driving down Main Street well into February with that tree still on his car. After he was gone, our office started handing out Christmas trees in his honor to people who couldn’t afford them.
Dominick’s love for trees didn’t stop with the Christmas tree. He was on the Shade Tree Commission in Stroudsburg, and when they planted a new tree in front of our office he said “Gina, make sure you water this tree every day, ” and I did, every. single. day. until it took root. In the spring when it started to flower we would stand outside and just look and look at that tree.
Dominick and I were usually the first ones in the office. I would always stop at Dunkin’ Donuts, and he would always stop at his broker’s office. I would be sitting at my desk getting ready to drink my coffee, and he’d come in the back door. “Gina, that coffee smells so good” he would go and get a paper cup, come back to my desk and I’d pour some of my coffee into his paper cup. I would always ask him if he wanted me to pick him up his own coffee in the mornings, but true to Dominick he would say “Why would we do that when we could share yours?”
Dominick is also the reason I talk to people in elevators. One morning he came into the office and stood at my desk, he informed me that the best way to meet people was in an elevator and never let a chance pass where you could meet some interesting people, what else are you going to do in an elevator?
Dominick was a little man with curly black hair, always wore a suit, even on vacation, always wore a bow tie, wire-frame glasses, and had the largest heart of gold. I am just one of many whose life he touched. I know he’s looking down on me with his saddle shoes peeking out of his white robe saying “Gina, look at you, I knew you would be fine!”
I miss you, Dominick.
In 2016, I purchased a book on Amazon, The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs. There was a pink luggage tag for the cruise ship Millennium; sail date 3/24/02. Out of curiosity, and with the insistence of my wife, I did a Google search of the name on the tag. Dominick Lockwood, of Stroudsburg PA. It only took a minute before I had an obituary. It was so moving to read. I never met him, but I’ll never forget him, and I often find myself asking: what would Dominick do?
That’s pretty amazing and I ask myself in almost every situation, “What would Dominick do?” He was an amazing person!
Thank you Gina. That’s beautiful. One correction though. I never Knew Dominick’s age either. Just never did the math. He was ageless in my mind.
Thank you for writing this. I just happened to see his gravestone as I was walking in Stroudsburg, and thought, “He must have been an extraordinary person.” It looks as though that was indeed the case.
He really was a special man
I was especially touched by your words when you said “it was as though I’d lost my grandfather”. I had a similar relationship with a remarkable man in Sussex County, NJ named John D. Lydon. He was like another grandfather to me. He was also a lawyer; I wonder if he ever met Mr. Lockwood. It’s too late to ask him now, but I have a feeling that if they ever had met, they would have recognized in each other a set of kindred spirits.
In any case, a toast to Dominic and to John; there are some truly special people in this world and sometimes we are privileged to share our time on this world with them.
He sounds like a wonderful man. And you are one hell of a story teller. So nice to meet you, can’t wait to read more!
Thank you for sharing this. I worked in Easton in an office upstairs from Dominick’s office. He was always so genuinely sweet, upbeat and energetic. The office was a better place when he stopped in to say hello! I’ll never forget his ever present bow tie nor his ever present smile! He was one of a kind…..there should be more people like him!!!
His smile and his energy certainly were enviable.
I ran into Dominick at the courthouse one day, back in the 80’s or 90’s. He had a stack of phone messages in his hand, four inches thick. I said, “How are you going to answer all those messages?” He answered, “Don’t have to. If you hold onto them long enough, these things have a way of taking care of themselves.”
This made me laugh right out loud when I read it! I often handed him a stack of those message and he would just tuck them into his pocket!
Thank you for these memories! What a wonderful man!
He really was the best 😀
What an amazing tribute to a phenomenal person. I cannot believe it has been 15 years already … it seems like yesterday. Thank you for remembering this wonderful man. He was a kind, gentle soul in an often ruthless profession. His grace, his charm, his wit, his wisdom are truly missed.
Ditto.
<3
It really is hard to believe it has been 15 years. He was indeed charming, witty, and kind.
This is incredible. I knew who Dominick was, but I never knew him personally. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
He was a one of a kind person.
Thank you Gina. For always remembering and keeping Dominick alive and for reminding me of our shared blessings. ?
It was my pleasure. I know he is watching us all and smiling.
This is such a sweet post! Dominick sounds like he was a fantastic man. I’m sorry for your loss!
Thank you Julianne, he was a smart, kind, funny, and witty man. He was loved.