Local Obituaries
“Outside of the game, Nick lived joyfully and without reservation.”
Nick Dagostino. – via Legacy.com
There are people who pass through this world quietly, and there are people who fill every room they enter with light. Nick Dagostino was the second kind — and anyone who ever stood in that light knows exactly what has been lost.
Nicholas Michael Dagostino was born on August 6, 2002, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he spent every one of his 23 years living with a fullness that most people spend a lifetime chasing. He left this world unexpectedly on May 29, 2026, leaving behind a silence that none of us quite know how to fill.
Nick loved football with his whole heart. Growing up in New England, he proudly bucked the local tradition by cheering for the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants — and he would not apologize for it. His devotion to Peyton Manning was legendary, and one of his most treasured memories was a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with his mom, where Nick was, by all accounts, completely in his element. His love for the game never faded. From the time he first stepped onto a field in elementary school to the days he stood on the sidelines coaching, football wasn’t just something Nick did — it was part of how he loved people.
Outside of the game, Nick lived joyfully and without reservation. Summers meant New Hampshire — his granddad’s house, the open water at Newfound Lake, and long days in Bristol jet skiing and shooting guns with his dad, Bob, creating memories that will be treasured forever. When he was indoors, he and his closest friends moved through video game phases together, always onto the next great obsession. Those friends were his people, and he was theirs. He had a signature move — calling one of them, saying simply “pigeon” or “pilgrim,” and hanging up — just to put a smile on their face. Because that’s who he was. He thought about the people he loved, constantly, and he wanted them to know it.
Nick sent texts with hearts and videos out of nowhere, just because someone crossed his mind. He would look his mom in the eyes and tell her she was beautiful. He showed up. He reached out. He remembered. In a world that can feel rushed and distracted, Nick was the kind of person who made you feel like you were the only one in the room.
And yet — he was also deep in ways that might surprise those who only knew his smile. He journaled. He prayed. He had a close and genuine relationship with God, and he carried a spiritual life quietly and sincerely within him. Nick understood something that takes some people a lifetime to learn: that kindness is not weakness, and that loving people fully is the whole point.
He often flashed that grin of his and asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Yes, Nick. We did. We always will. You were the one who made us feel seen. You were the one who called just to say something ridiculous and hang up. You were the one with the smile that changed the temperature of a room. You were someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s boyfriend, someone’s best friend — and you were so, so good at all of it.
Nick is survived by his father, Robert “Bobby” Dagostino, and his girlfriend, Diana Arpino, both of Waltham, MA; his mother, Lisa G. Dagostino, of Myrtle Beach, SC; his sister, Talia Dagostino, of Myrtle Beach, SC, and her boyfriend, Juan Pantoja, of Davenport, FL; his brother, Bobby Dagostino, of Waltham, MA; his girlfriend, Juliya Newcomb, of Nashua, NH; his paternal grandparents, Jerry Dagostino, his wife, Annemarie Musselwhite, and her daughter, Wendy Musselwhite, of Waltham, MA, and his paternal grandmother, Sarah Dagostino, of Waltham, MA; his maternal grandmother, Mary DiPhillipo, of Myrtle Beach, SC, and her late husband, Mike DiPhillipo; his uncle, Jerry Dagostino, Dawn Dagostino, and their son Anthony, of Waltham, MA; his uncle, Stephen Dagostino; his aunt, Aunty Tracy Rogers, his cousin, Michael DiPhillipo, of Lexington, MA, and Mike DiPhillipo of Lununberg, MA; his aunt, Shirley Lord, and his cousin, Adam Lord, of Waltham, MA; his aunt, Tracie “Auntie Auntie” Murphy, Uncle Scott Murphy, and their children, Krystal, Scotty, and Tricia, of Hudson, NH; and his Godfather, Frank Cuccinello, and his wife, Tammy Cuccinello, of Hooksett, NH.
A special place in this obituary belongs to the friends who were truly his brothers: Kenny and Kevin Rich of Nashua, NH; Devin and Eddie Bracetty, Antonio Rivera, Jayden Espinal, Travis Holbrook, and Landon Moore — men who knew his heart and walked through life beside him. And to Ted Atlas of “Clean Out Your House,” who was far more than a boss — he was a friend, and Nick knew it.
A loving mention belongs to Highway, his devoted dog, who was lucky enough to be loved by him.
Services will be private.
Nick was kind and good — not just sometimes, but at his core, always. He didn’t just pass through this world. He made it better. And every single person whose life he touched carries a piece of him now, in the warmth he left behind.
Rest easy, Nick. You were loved beyond measure, and you will be missed beyond words.
This local obituary is published via Legacy.com and Brasco Family Funeral Services. Want a loved one’s obituary featured on Boston.com? Submit your obituary here, or email it to [email protected].
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