Raymond Anton Sr.

Raymond Anton, Sr. passed from this world peacefully at the age of 102 – his birthday being a bit more than a week before his death. Ray, as his friends called him, was born August 16, 1917 in Jersey City NJ to Italian immigrant parents and was the middle child - having 2 sisters and 6 brothers. One of his first jobs was sheet metal repair on naval ships in the Newark NJ shipyard prior to WW II. He enlisted in the Air Force and achieved the rank of Master Sergeant where his typing skills, as well as his forceful but congenial manner, allowed him to work both not only as a clerk to the base commander, but also as a rifle instructor for new recruits. He met his first wife Helen Golis, at the start of the war and they were married in 1942. She spent time with him at Randolf Field (AFB) in San Antonio Texas – a time they joyously remembered throughout their lives. After the war, he along with his brother Ben, assumed their father’s grocery and liquor business in Jersey City. They successfully ran this business, expanding it to two stores. He retired at age 60 and moved to Palm Coast FL. After Helen’s death in 1983, he moved to Melbourne Beach, FL where he lived until about age 78. He married his current wife, Ethel Anton, and moved to Spanish Lakes in Ft. Pierce, FL where they spent many happy years before moving to Isles of Vero in Vero Beach. FL when he was about 97. Ray was an excellent athlete, having played semi-pro football prior to the war. He was handy with his hands and directed the construction of his first house, and subsequently personally did extensive renovation work on his other homes. He was an avid stock investor and enjoyed cruising/traveling. One of his biggest achievements, and one that he bragged about to all that would listen, was that his son was a “Doctor” and an “accomplished scientist” – an aspiration that, no doubt, he had for himself - but could not achieve due to life circumstances. Ray leaves behind his wife of 25 years, Ethel Anton, his son Raymond F. Anton Jr. MD and his wife Carol Younker, as well as his granddaughter Dr. Lauren Anton Farrington, her husband Andrew, and their 3 children (Ray’s great-grandchildren) Ryan, Emily, and Ian. Our family is grateful for all that he did to make our lives easier and more successful than his own. He was one of the “greatest-generation”! We love, and honor him, for what he did and what he accomplished - both for himself, and for all of us collectively. His life and accomplishments have not ended - they continue through his legacy.