Dominic Bastianelli

Dominic Bastianelli, 92, passed away September 8, 2022. He was born on January 14, 1930, in Iron River, Michigan, to Anna and Sam Bastianelli and had two sisters: Mary and Rina. Dom’s early life was filled with adventures at his family’s hunting and fishing camp in Gibbs City, Michigan, which featured hotly-contested bocce contests and spectacular pitch-in dinners with other families and friends who immigrated from Italy, as the Bastianellis had. They included Angeli, Argentati, Brunamonti, Bonell, Casagranda, Papin, Pierotti, Purgatorio, Ronzani, Tomassucci, and Toti families.

Dom attended Iron County schools, where he participated in student government and excelled on the high school debate and basketball teams. He graduated from Iron River High School in 1947 and continued his education at the University of Michigan, receiving the Regents Scholarship. He graduated on June 16, 1951 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and married Rosalie Meddaugh that same day. In 1952, Dom earned his MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. The couple resided in Detroit, where Dom worked as a test engineer on marine diesel engines at Packard. They welcomed their first child, Sam, in 1952. Not long afterward, Dominic joined the Allison Division of General Motors in Indianapolis where he worked as a performance analysis engineer on turboprop gas turbines.

Within three years, the family moved to the new town of Speedway, where they welcomed daughters Ann and Jean. They enjoyed spending time with close family friends Jean and Doris Graven, Irene Wade, and several others. Dom retired from Allison after 35 years, and plunged into retirement with gusto. About Dom it could be said, “He worked hard and played hard.” At Allison, he captained the company’s bowling, softball, skeet, and trapshooting teams. In retirement, he founded B&M Specialties and traveled to gun shows across the Midwest with his good friend Bob Clark, selling shotguns, barrels, and hunting equipment. The true passion of Dom’s life, though—other than Rosalie–was duplicate bridge. For decades, he played in tournaments in Indianapolis and around the Midwest, earning the Life Master’s designation. At the time of his death, he had earned a total of 712 master points, making him a bronze life master. Notably, until a week before his death, Dom was playing bridge at the Indianapolis Bridge Center.

Dom was married for 66 years to Rose. At the celebration of her life in 2017, he remarked that in thinking back on his life, he felt most proud of his family. For him, they were the ultimate winning hand—all aces.

Dom was preceded in death by Rosalie, his parents, and sisters. He is survived by his son Sam Bastianelli (Jinny); his daughters Ann Bastianelli and Jean Bastianelli Boeglin; and grandchildren Anthony and Marcus (Sydney) Bastianelli; Alex, Jack (Jade), and Rosemary Boeglin; and Christian Englum.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 20, from 6pm to 8pm at Flanner Buchanan – Broad Ripple. A funeral Mass will be held the following day, September 21, at St. Joan of Arc Church at noon, with an additional visitation an hour before. The Mass will be livestreamed and can be viewed here.