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Longtime DC-Area Jeweler Dominick Pampillonia Dies at 92
He was a third-generation jeweler with a passion for design who also loved jazz and spending time in the sunshine.
Dominick Pampillonia was a third-generation jeweler from Washington, D.C. who started Pampillonia Jewelers with his father and brother. He died Dec. 30 at age 92.
Bethesda, Md.—Dominick Pampillonia, a third-generation jeweler with a passion for jewelry design, jazz, and spending time in the sunshine, died at his home in Bethesda, Maryland on Dec. 30 surrounded by family.
He was 92.
Pampillonia was born Sept. 2, 1929, at Mount Alto Hospital in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Northwest D.C., graduating from Wilson High School.
He was a third-generation jeweler who, along with brother Harry and father Dominick Joseph, founded and operated D.C.-area independent Pampillonia Jewelers, serving clients for more than 50 years.
Pampillonia had a true passion for design and rare gems, and his clients will remember him for his exquisite taste and style.
The store he helped start still operates today in Bethesda, Maryland, and is headed by Pampillonia’s eldest son, Dino.
Outside of the jewelry industry, Pampillonia had a passion for jazz music—he played tenor saxophone in a big band in the 1940s—and sports, particularly his hometown Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Football Team) and Washington Nationals. He was thrilled when the Nationals won the World Series in 2019.
He raised three children alongside his wife of 68 years, Betsy, and enjoyed spending time at the family house in Bethany Beach, Delaware and, later, on their boat on the Chesapeake Bay.
He will always be known for his deep tan, piercing blue eyes and silver hair, and the long-lasting friendships he forged with his neighbors in Ashleigh, the Bethesda neighborhood where he and Betsy lived for more than 50 years.
He was a wonderful father and grandfather who will be deeply missed.
Pampillonia is survived by his three children, Dino (Farah), Richard (Hope), and Lisa (Peter); and three grandchildren, Camille, Sabrina, and Jane.
He was preceded in death by Betsy, who died in April 2020.
A combined memorial service and celebration of the lives of Dominick and Betsy will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the American Heart Association.
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