The Schiano di Cola family wants to give back to the school and community that’s meant so much to them.
The family is establishing a scholarship in the late Domenico Schiano di Cola’s memory that will run in perpetuity at St. Joseph High School in Harrison.
It’s his alma mater as well as that of his mother, Debora Malvone, and brother, Vincenzo. His youngest brother, Luca, graduates from the school this spring.
The school also will dedicate a memorial in the St. Joseph Garden in Domenico’s honor.
The school and family are holding a fundraiser March 10 at the Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell. Proceeds will go toward establishing a memorial garden at St. Joseph and toward a scholarship fund that will be awarded to future students who have similar characteristics to Domenico.
People can also donate through a link on St. Joseph’s website.
“It means a lot to me,” said Malvone, a 1991 St. Joseph alumna and owner of J&S Pizza in the Heights Plaza. “I went to school there, my boys went there. I’ve been blessed three times with my boys, and I really do believe a Catholic education enforced that.
“I’m a traditionalist. I love that things have been going on there for years, and I love what it stands for.”
Domenico, Malvone’s eldest son, graduated from St. Joseph in 2013. He earned a business management degree from Saint Vincent College in 2017 and stepped into an ownership role at J&S Pizza.
He died Aug. 6 of sudden cardiac arrest during a family trip to Italy. He was 29.
“For our family and friends, his memory will always live on, through pictures, stories and in his spirit,” said Vincenzo, 25 and a 2017 graduate of St. Joseph. “At St. Joe’s, you’ll see his name in a more tangible way. It’s really cool to have that at the school.”
Vincenzo and Luca, 18, recalled Domenico as a best friend.
“We spent a lot of time together, whether it was (at work,) at home, or playing sports,” Luca said. “We always did everything together.”
Malvone said she hopes the scholarship and garden plaque keep Domenico’s memory alive, supports students and families at St. Joseph and gives back to the community that has supported her family’s businesses for decades.
Her sister, Fiorella Barone, owns Capri Restaurant just up Freeport Road. Fiorella is a 1986 graduate of St. Joseph. She agreed with her sister’s description of St. Joseph’s impact on their family.
“They were amazing for those boys,” Fiorella said, who along with her daughters and Capri managers, Daniela and Veronica Barone, said the di Cola brothers were respectful, kind and polite young men.
“We were very close,” Veronica said of her relationship with Domenico. “We grew up together; we spent a lot of time together. He was the happiest person I’ve ever met in my life.”
Domenico’s fiancee, Marissa Kesicki, also works with the family at Capri and is organizing the upcoming fundraiser with Malvone.
“Domenico always made everyone feel important,” Kesicki said. “He was the nicest person; he was the best. No problem was ever too big for him.”