Daniel Michael Dondiego

Daniel Michael Dondiego, 86, of Marietta, GA, passed away on Monday, February 2, 2026. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Mayes Ward Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta, GA, with family receiving guests from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. Dan was born August 11, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Bernardino Patrick Dondiego and Filomina Castoro. He grew up with the New York subway as his playground and street stickball as after-school entertainment. As a boy, he was an avid Yankees fan and baseball card collector (if only his Ma hadn’t cleaned out the attic and tossed those original Mickey Mantles...). He was also a true New York Italian, a second-generation born American who always wished his parents and grandparents had taught him their native language. But he was raised as an “American boy” — or as “American” as you can be with a Ma who kept the crushed-velvet living room furniture covered in plastic and a perpetual pot of red sauce simmering on the back burner. His early lessons in American loyalty stuck, however, and at age 19, Dan enlisted in the United States Army to serve his country. He was assigned to the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division, driving a tank as border patrol during the aftermath of the Korean War in 1958. He drove a tank for two years — including once through the wall of his own training facility (a favorite Dan retelling) — before being honorably discharged in 1960. From his time in the Army, Dan always said he received four things: invaluable life skills, a much-needed dose of maturity, hearing loss (no artillery ear protection back then), and a college education. When he returned home, the Army paid for him to earn an electrical engineering degree from Manhattan College (now Manhattan University). He went on to enjoy a long and successful 45-plus-year career, eventually retiring from both General Electric and IBM. Dan was always a steady family man — a favorite uncle, devoted son, solid provider, and the life of every family wedding, (in)famously inventing a dance called “the Uncle Danny.” Dan was also a man of deep faith who used his gifts and skills to bless others. At his church, First Baptist Church Woodstock, he was an avid participant in Love Loud, a program that built and restored homes for those in need. Dan could literally fix or build anything — and never turned away anyone who needed his help. His favorite things to tinker with, however, were his vintage Lionel trains. He loved nothing more than an afternoon spent running his trains with his grandkids — watching them push the buttons to make the milk car spit out little jugs and the log car dump wood while the trolley bumped to and fro on the trestle above. Dan is survived by his loving wife, Nancy Bowers Morales Dondiego; his children, Terry Michael Cornelia (Aimee) of Athens, GA; Barbara Dondiego Stewart (David) of Smyrna, GA; Elizabeth Dondiego Cossick (Graham) of Acworth, GA; Mary Dondiego McChesney (Brent) of Provo, UT; stepchildren Melissa Morales, of Marietta, GA, and Jason Morales of Marietta, GA; his mother-in-law Millicent Bowers of Marietta; and grandchildren Bantten, Mia, Dominic, Mason, Gabriel, Brooks, Savannah, Sebastian, Knox, Maximus, and Mila — along with many beloved nieces and nephews. Dan leaves a legacy marked by his humor, steady presence, and epic dance moves. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to First Baptist Church Woodstock in Dan’s name: fbcw.org/give.

Daniel Michael Dondiego

August 11, 1939 - February 2, 2026