Obituary for Dominic Infante
YOUNGSTOWN – Prayers will be held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Austintown Chapel followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Brendan Church, 2800 Oakwood Ave., Youngstown for Dr. Dominic A. Infante, Ph.D., 73, of Alliance, who passed away on Jan. 12, 2014, at Aultman Hospital.
He was born Feb. 23, 1940, in Youngstown, a son of the late Joseph J. and Maline (Vergallito) Infante.
Dr. Infante retired from Kent State University, where he was Professor of Communication Studies. He held similar positions at the City University of New York at Queens College, the University of South Florida, and the State University of New York at Albany. His first teaching position was at Austintown Fitch High School, where he served in the English faculty and was the Forensics Coach.
Dr. Infante earned degrees from Bowling Green State University (B.S.), where he was a member of the football team, the debating team, and Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, Westminster College (M.S.), and Kent State University (M.A. and Ph.D.). He received honors for his research programs in Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness. Several studies of research productivity ranked Dr. Infante as one of the leading scholars in the communication discipline during the twentieth century.
In his mid twenties, he studied voice for three years with soprano Grace Straw Wilson of Youngstown and baritone Bryce Fogle of New York City and was trained as an operatic tenor. Although he loved singing, he decided during this period of time to pursue a career in higher education.
Besides singing, his hobbies included traveling, sports, fishing, boating and shooting American Civil War weapons competitively in the North-South Skirmish Association, where he won many medals.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sandra J. (Piccoli) Infante formerly of Campbell; his children, daughter Laura L. (Geoffrey) Peters of Dublin and son Jeffrey A. (Jennifer) Infante of Orlando, Fla.; 11 grandchildren, Wesley, Jennifer, and Dominic Scott, Mary, Lauren, and Geoffrey Peters, Aaron Shaffer, Skylar, Cameron, Caitlin, and Joseph Infante; and two great-grandchildren, Brynn and Mason Scott. He is also survived by brothers, Joseph, James (Terry), and Ronald (Luann) Infante; sisters, Ann Therese Vonovick and Marilyn (Donald) Murcko; and brother-in-law, Val (Sandra) Piccoli.
Family and friends may call Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Austintown Chapel, 4303 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown, OH 44515.
Internment will be at Green Haven Memorial Gardens, Canfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made for The Dominic Infante Communications Scholarship at Kent State University and can be sent to KSU Foundation, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001. Gifts can also be made online at www.GiveToKent.org. Please type in “Infante” on the designation line.