POLAND Public calling hours are scheduled for Thursday for Dominic J. Tocco Jr., a longtime Teamsters union official, military veteran, and Youngstown-area musician, who died Friday. He was 77.

Tocco, who fronted the local band Dom Tocco and the Brotherhood for decades, passed away in Poland surrounded by family, according to an obituary provided by the family.

The calling hours for family and close friends will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Rossi Brothers and Lellio Funeral Home, 4442 South Ave., in Boardman.

Tocco was born on Oct. 8, 1947, in the city’s Brier Hill neighborhood to Dominico “Dixie” Tocco and Antoinette Naples Tocco.

He began his working life as a boy in downtown Youngstown at Buttitta Market, his father’s Italian grocery store. He also worked for Youngstown United Music, a vending company operated by his uncle, and later helped run his family’s business, Dixie’s Garden Emporium, from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.

After attending Hayes Junior High School, Rayen, and Wilson High Schools, Tocco received an education in Labor Relations and Business Administration at Youngstown State University.

He served in the military during the Vietnam War, completing a 14-month tour and returning with numerous commendations. Tocco also trained Special Forces units in hand-to-hand combat and survival techniques as a Seventh Degree Black Belt in martial arts.

Upon his military discharge, Tocco began a career with the Teamsters Union. He rose to the President’s position, holding local, state, and international titles. He served on the Executive Boards of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and Teamsters Joint Council #41. Tocco also worked for Jimmy Hoffa in Washington, D.C.

His union service extended to numerous Teamsters’ charities and scholarship funds. Tocco also served as Vice President of the “United Labor Agency” and the “Jobs for Justice Commission,” where he focused on rehabilitating and retraining displaced workers for new careers. His work as a labor leader led to his induction into the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Businesses.

Outside of his work, Tocco had a long musical career in the area, entertaining fans since 1963. He received the Youngstown Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Tribute and was named Brier Hill’s “Man of the Year.” His obituary noted he was selected as the Reader's Choice Award’s Entertainer of the Year numerous times.

Tocco had been public about his health in recent years, sharing his battle with throat cancer, which had spread to his lungs. He announced his last performance in April 2024.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Maria Annette; two sons, Dominic III of Poland, Ohio, and Giovanni of Tega Cay, South Carolina; three grandsons, Dominico, Gianni, and Roman; two granddaughters, Delila and Liliana; and a sister, Delores Tekieli of Kent, Ohio.

The family offered gratitude to the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, specifically Dr. Tamara Sussman and Dr. Neil Woody, for their care, and acknowledged the late Dr. Alex Vrable for his long-time friendship and support.

Family and friends are invited to offer prayers and condolences by visiting the Book of Memories on the funeral home’s website.