Dominick Losquadro, an exception among prominent Suffolk political family, dies at 58
Dominick Losquadro, a volunteer firefighter from Wading River who developed an illness related to cleanup work at Ground Zero, died March 30 at his Maryland home. Credit: Courtesy Kelly Losquadro
Dominick Losquadro was the brother who didn't go into politics.
While his siblings became prominent figures in the Suffolk County Republican Party — older brother Steven is a GOP lawyer and younger brother Dan is Brookhaven Town's highway superintendent — Dominick went into the insurance business, working at State Farm for 34 years.
He also was a Ridge volunteer firefighter. And it was in that role that he volunteered to help clean up lower Manhattan following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, his family said.
In summer 2024, Dominick Losquadro was diagnosed with bile duct cancer related to his work at Ground Zero, Dan Losquadro said. His brother died of the illness Monday at his home in Middletown, Maryland. He would have been 59 on Saturday.
“He was part of the World Trade Center Health Program," Dan Losquadro said. "While the cancer he had was a rare cancer, it’s unfortunately not rare among Ground Zero responders.”
About 400,000 people are believed to have been exposed to toxic contaminants, were injured or developed mental health conditions from living or working in Manhattan after 9/11, and thousands are believed to have died of their illnesses, including many from Long Island, according to the World Trade Center Health Program website.
Dominick Losquadro and his brothers grew up together in Wading River, the sons of an auto repair shop owner.
Dan Losquadro said his brother had "hands of gold" and could fix anything — including his friends’ bicycles and neighbors’ cars. He parlayed those skills into a long career in the insurance industry.
Dominick was transferred to Maryland 22 years ago to supervise State Farm's Northeast operations, his family said.
Dan Losquadro, the Republican nominee for Suffolk County comptroller, said his brother largely shunned politics, making him an anomaly in his family.
“I like to say to my colleagues, Dominick is the brother you don’t know because he was the one who was smart enough to stay out of this,” Dan Losquadro said.
He added, “He was just everything you could think of that a big brother should be.”
Kelly Losquadro, Dominick's wife, said they met through mutual friends at a party several years after each graduated from Shoreham-Wading River High School.
“I walked out of that party and said, 'I’m going to marry that guy,' ” Kelly Losquadro said Thursday in a telephone interview. “We’ve been together ever since."
They raised four daughters, ranging in age from 19 to 32. Their first grandchild was born almost two years ago.
“We had the best life and then the rug got pulled out from under us,” she said, referring to her husband's cancer. He retired from State Farm in January because of the illness, his wife said.
Besides his wife and brothers, Dominick Losquadro is survived by daughters Emily Callinan, Abigail Losquadro, Kimberly Losquadro and Reagan Losquadro, as well as his granddaughter, Amelia Callinan, all of Maryland.
On Long Island, Dominick Losquadro volunteered with the Ridge Fire Department, rising to the rank of Company 3 captain, Dan Losquadro said.
“He was just that person always stepping up to help,” Dan Losquadro said, adding that was why his brother volunteered to work at Ground Zero.
“The sad part is that willingness to step into the most difficult of situations, when this country was attacked, his first thought was, 'Where do I go to help?' ”
He also volunteered with the Middletown Fire Department after moving to Maryland, briefly serving as vice president, his family said.
Kelly Losquadro, a real estate agent, said her husband was a "girl dad" who coached his daughters' soccer teams. He never showed an interest in Maryland politics, either, she said, preferring to follow his own path.
“Politics was never his business," she said. "People were his business.”
Visiting will be 3 to 6 p.m. Monday at Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike in Frederick, Maryland. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, 7321 Burkittsville Rd., Middletown, Maryland.
The family asks that memorial donations be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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