Rutilio Anthony Corvo

Tony was born in Boston but grew up in Middletown, Connecticut, where he developed a strong work ethic working on a tobacco farm alongside his siblings to support his family. He liked to tell the story of the time the farm workers attempted to strike for higher wages -- $.11/hour instead of $.10. The effort failed, but the experience instilled in him a strong sense of right and wrong and the importance of being fair, sentiments that lasted a lifetime.

His life changed when he moved back to Medford, Massachusetts for high school and then was awarded a full scholarship to attend Harvard University, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in English. He had intended to pursue his PhD, but his plans were interrupted when he served in the Navy during the Korean War, separating with an Honorable Discharge as a Petty Officer, 2nd Class, in 1955.

He married the love of his life, Nancy, in 1967 and they lived briefly in Stoneham, Massachusetts before settling for many years in Concord, Massachusetts where they raised two children before retiring first to Cape Cod, and then later to the DC area to be near their children. He had a wide variety of interests, including boating, reading and traveling, but his most cherished times were at home when his family surrounded him. He was an incredibly devoted husband and spent the final years of his 52 year marriage tirelessly caring for Nancy in her illness until she died in 2019. He was also preceded in death by his beloved siblings Salvatore Corvo, Gaetano Corvo and Inez (Corvo) O’Connell. He is survived by his daughter Tara (Robert Haynos) of Takoma Park, Maryland, his son Christopher (Marie) of Arlington, Virginia, his grandchildren Robert Haynos, Niamh Haynos, Aidan Corvo and Sofia Corvo and many much-loved nephews and nieces.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, January 10, at 4 pm at St. Ann Catholic Church, 5300 North 10th Street Arlington, Virginia.