Anthony “Tony” Firenza was born on January 10, 1923 in Little Italy, NYC, to Michael Firenza & Nancy Calderone, of Sicily, he was the sixth of eight surviving children. Not in any particular order they were Frank, Salvatore, John, Rose, Angie, Margie & Millie.
Through the years the family moved several times throughout Manhattan & finally made the Bronx their home. While he only had a 6th grade education, Dad later took an interest in reading books & enjoyed watching documentaries about history, geography & science. Dad served in the army during WWII & spent part of those years at a prisoner of war camp in New England guarding German submariners. He confided that in this particular situation it was bittersweet getting to personally know certain of these enemy soldiers.
He met my mom, Marie Nastasi & they married in 1949. I was their only child, Joyce Ann, born in 1951. We were a close-knit little family and enjoyed going to the horse races at Belmont Park, the Bronx Zoo, the Circus, Radio City Music Hall and the Catskill Mts. in summer. Mom & Dad loved to dance and won trophies in the 40’s & 50’s. They taught me and I caught on easily. So, when I was just a little girl, on Sunday after church & dinner, we would spend the afternoon dancing to record albums, on the Hi-Fi, in the living room of our little apartment. Dad was also an avid fan of & introduced me to Jazz music; it became one of my favorite genres as well.
His occupations included: postman & later taxi driver in Manhattan, carpenter for Princeton Upholstery & during winter months, he drove a truck to deliver heating oil to apartment buildings and businesses on the night shift sometimes during the worst snowstorms. Lastly, he worked for & retired from NYC Parks & Recreation as a supervisor managing the Bronx warehouse. He retired in 1988, looking forward to traveling & spending more time with mom.
After I married in 1976, my husband Lonnie & I left New York. Wherever we lived: California, North Carolina, Arkansas or Tennessee, my parents always traveled to visit us & their grandchildren. They were grandparents of two sets of twins, the older being Lisa & Jennifer and the younger, Diana & Phillip. When I called to tell my parents that I was having a second set of twins, Dad answered humorously, “What! Are you lonely?” He had five great-grandsons: Jax, Julian, Connor, Leiland and Trevor, & one great-granddaughter, Rory. Sometime after Dad retired, he & mom took a trip to Italy & Sicily. Sadly in 1997, my mother passed away & Dad became a widower. In 2001 he met Gabriella & they became companions. She passed away in 2013; he was alone again.
In 2017, at my request, he agreed to make the move to Memphis so he could be closer to myself, his grandchildren & great-grandchildren. He remarked: “I never thought I would be moving again at 94 & to another state.” I will always treasure the three great years we had with him. Dad believed in God, & always referred to Him as “The Man Upstairs.” He was funny, easy going, liked to joke, & never complained even when he was ill. He was loved by many & surely he will be missed!
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital or the charity of your choice.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FamilyFuneralMemphis.com for the Firenza family.
