Dominick Reis Jr.

Dominick Reis, Jr.
February 7, 2026
Dominick Reis, Jr., 86, of West Haven, passed away peacefully at home with his family on February 27, 2026, after a brief illness. Dominick is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Alzira Pereira Reis; his five children: Dominick J. Reis (Geralyn) of Niantic, Deborah Cinicolo, John Reis and Michael Reis, all of West Haven, and Maria Reis-Greim (Thomas Kirby) of Phillipsburg, NJ; nine beloved grandchildren: Shannon Reis, Christopher Greim (Kalli), Michael Greim, Brittney Reis-Galich (Todd), Michael Cinicolo (Rehana), Alexander Cinicolo, Nicholas Reis, Rachel Cinicolo and Blythe Reis; and two great-grandchildren. Born June 17, 1939, in New Haven, CT, Dominick was the fifth and youngest child of Maria Simoes Reis and Dominick Reis, Sr. In addition to his parents, Dominick was predeceased by his siblings: Mary R. Crespo, Rose Mendes, Joseph Reis, Sr. (Gerrie), and Delores R. George.
Dominick grew up in West Haven and attended Eli Whitney Technical High School in New Haven, where he learned valuable trade skills that he used in his early career and which later became lifelong hobbies. He enjoyed spending some of his early summers in Portugal, his parents' birthplace, and was proud of his Portuguese heritage. He first met his wife, Alzira, at her sister's wedding, where he told one of his buddies, a mutual friend, that she was the woman he was going to marry. Just over a year later, they celebrated their wedding and began building their life together.
After working at the Armstrong Rubber Company in West Haven and several construction jobs, Dominick joined the West Haven Police Department in 1973, serving as patrolman until his retirement at the age of 62 in 2001. He was dedicated to his profession and made lasting friendships with a group of his fellow officers, some of whom he enjoyed meeting monthly for lunch, where they would share stories about their families and reminisce about their time on the Force.
Dominick was a skilled tradesman, leveraging the plumbing, electrical and construction skills he learned in high school to tackle numerous home improvement projects, including two complete bathrooms and a kitchen remodel. In addition, he often assisted friends and family with similar home improvements. He also built a camper with his brother Joe, which he would later use to support his outdoor hobbies. Dominick had impeccable attention to detail and could point out the smallest defect or flaw in craftmanship, which became a source of both irritation and laughter for his family.
An avid outdoorsman, Dominick enjoyed spending time hunting and fishing and enjoyed sharing these hobbies with family and friends. In support of this, he began raising beagle puppies, some of which he trained to hunt with him. His love for these sports led to the purchase of property in upstate New York, where he would later share time with his family vacationing, salmon fishing and skipping stones with his grandchildren on Lake Ontario.
Dominick had a mischievousness about him and enjoyed playing practical jokes on his family and friends. He often shared stories of the pranks he would play on his mother and other adventures growing up and liked to tease his wife and family, always trying to get a rise out of them.
Dominick adored his grandchildren and was present in their lives, attending countless sporting events, dance recitals, and competitions, and supporting each of them in both their academic and extracurricular pursuits. He proudly attended each of their graduations and often gently boasted of their individual accomplishments. His oldest granddaughter began lovingly calling him "Poppo" at an early age, a name that became a term of endearment that all his children, grandchildren and their friends would use. He reveled in the attention he received from them, so much so that his Connecticut vanity license plate also read, "Poppo."
Arrangements have been entrusted to the West Haven Funeral Home at the Green, 662 Savin Avenue, West Haven. Calling hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 6th, with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. in St. John Vianney Church, 300 Captain Thomas Boulevard, West Haven, on Saturday, March 7th. All are asked to meet directly at church. Interment will immediately follow in All Saints Cemetery, North Haven.
Dominick's family would like to acknowledge and thank the staff at Connecticut Hospice for their support, caring, and compassion during his illness. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to Connecticut Hospice (https://www.hospice.com/volunteers-donors/donate). To make an online remembrance, please visit www.westhavenfuneral.com.