Antonio Benedetto Lancione

Our beloved husband and father passed away on January 30, 2021. Antonio, or Tony, as he was known in the US had many great interests and loves in life, but his three greatest where his family and friends, his love of great food and wine and the never-ending desire to share his little town of birth with everyone he met. Tony was born in the small village of Caporciano, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. He spent his formative years in Italy and starting in his early twenties went in search of adventure around the world as one of the famous Bechtel “pipeliners.” His job took him to many far-flung places on earth and he always had his family with him.

His career with Bechtel started in Paris, France and continued in the area of Western Europe/North Africa, including assignments in Belgium, London, Italy, Algeria, Beirut and Egypt. He then spent several years working in Houston, Texas on several pipeline projects within the US and North Africa. His proudest achievement was as Project Manager for the PGE/PGT Expansion Pipeline project between Canada and California. He spent several years on this project, living in San Francisco and Bend, Oregon. He and his team successfully completed this job to the praise of his customer and many in the pipeline community.

When his time with Bechtel drew to a close, Tony immersed himself in the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Houston, working to bring the products and services of small/medium Italian companies to the US market. He particularly enjoyed this experience as it allowed him to combine two passions; work and connections he made during his time with Bechtel and contacts in Italy who he could help get work in the US. This allowed him to travel between Italy and the US and share his passion for Italian companies, food and wine with his US contacts; many of which will never forget the introductory lunches.

Although Tony settled in Houston, Texas where he raised his family, his heart never forgot where he came from. In his later years, with his children grown, he spent summers in Italy and made it a point to always invite friends and family to visit him in Caporciano. Many accepted the invitation and have always spoken fondly of their summer with Tony in that enchanting little medieval village. Tony was the consummate entertainer; he never passed up an opportunity to celebrate great food and great wine with his many friends and family. And to him, the bigger the party…the better. Tony was in many ways larger than life and had a magical ability to bring people together and light up a room. While we mourn his passing, we remember with joy the greatest gift he bestowed upon us, his love of life.