Anthony Bruno Menegazzo

Anthony “Tony” Menegazzo, resident of Rolling Meadows, IL, formerly of Chicago, passed peacefully November 1st, 2018, at 90 years young. Tony was born in Chicago on February 22, 1928 to Guilia Castellan and Giovanni Menegazzo. He was born a twin, but his brother John did not survive the year. Sadly, Tony never knew his father, who died of a surgical complication before Tony and his brother were born. Giulia was devoted to Tony, and raised him for several years as a single mother until she married Moro Marin. Tony’s parents (including Moro) were born in a small town called Castello de Godego in the Veneto region of Italy, a place Tony loved to visit across his lifetime.

Tony’s life was filled with art, music, and all things Edgar Rice Burroughs, the famous author of Tarzan of the Apes. He was a long-standing contributor to ERBzine, an online magazine devoted to Edgar Rice Burroughs and his celebrated character, Tarzan. Tony wrote articles and contributed to the magazine for almost two decades, making many friends across the globe. Tony was enamored of Tarzan: his license plates read “TAR1888,” his walls were covered with Tarzan movie posters and paintings that Tony had created, his bookshelves were filled with hundreds of Tarzan books, and autographed photos from Johnny Weissmuller and other “Tarzan” movie stars lined the shelves.

Tony volunteered at the Rolling Meadows Public Library for over 20 years as a “Friend of the Library.” He organized book sales and helped raise money to underwrite free concerts in the summer for the entire community. In 2000, Tony volunteered to construct a diorama for the library to celebrate Edgar Rice Burroughs’s 125th birthday. His exhibit covered an expanse 10 feet long by 5 feet high, depicting Tarzan and Jane in a lifelike African setting.

Tony loved to write, and completed several novels and short stories, one of which addressed his feelings of losing his father before birth. He was well-known for his artistry, and for pen-and-ink drawings that delighted his family and friends. His original comic book entitled “The Adventures of the Delli Brothers” hangs proudly in his daughter’s home. Tony was a music aficionado, working at Chess Records in Chicago for many years. Tony was one of the first to have his own reel-to-reel tape system with which he recorded many musical talents, including his own family! Patty Page remained his favorite all-time artist despite his fascination in later years with Cher.

Tony was an avid horseman, frequently taking his children to the Jack and Jill Ranch in Michigan for summer vacations where they would all dress as cowboys and ride the trails for hours. Tony wasn’t afraid to ride a horse in the city, either. Many times he rode along the lakefront with his daughter after renting horses from the Lincoln Park stables. Tony was an avid skier and earned his Ski Patrol Officer designation. He volunteered with the ski patrol for dozens of years at Villa Olivia and Chestnut Mountain, and traveled to Colorado to ski with his friends. To celebrate his 78th birthday, Tony traveled to Purgatory Mountain in Colorado and skied with his daughter, Karen, and grandson, Robert. Tony was so pleased that three generations of the Menegazzo family were on the mountain at the same time.

Tony loved to travel and would not hesitate to get in his car and head out without plan or purpose. He traveled numerous times to Castello de Godego, his family’s hometown in Italy, where he would spend weeks with his cousins, aunts, and uncles. “Tutto bene!” was his favorite Italian response, “All is good!” In 2014, Tony obtained dual Italian citizenship. This was a great source of pride for him, as he dearly loved his Italian heritage, believing it to be a way to honor his parents. In order to obtain his citizenship, he had to share the contents of his “secret box,” which he kept hidden in his refrigerator. The contents contained his mother and father’s original Italian passports, army enlistment papers, ship manifests, and many other treasured documents. The consular agent was amazed at the perfect condition of the documents and the number and rarity of each one. The day Tony was issued his Italian passport, the entire staff of the Italian Consulate cheered and gave him a standing ovation!

He traveled far and wide, from enjoying tipping a cold one on numerous Caribbean beaches to fulfilling his life-long dream of visiting Africa. He traveled with his daughter to Egypt, Kenya, and Tanzania, where they absorbed the wonders of the world together. As an avid Internet user, he became known to people around the globe for his jokes, stories, and shared wisdoms.

In these last years, Tony slowed down and was cared for not only by his immediate family, but by others who were so meaningful to him, especially Chris Moreno, and his Number One Fan, Tiffany Garrett. While Tony was enjoying his stay at Brookdale Senior Living, it was Gary and his wife, Jan, who were the constants in Tony’s daily life. They made sure he never ran out of this favorite biscotti and coffee. Gary was Tony’s personal Uber driver to doctor’s appointments and numerous stops at the Kingsberry Waffle House. All the while, Gary made it a priority to keep everyone in the family updated on Tony and his antics; the good, the bad but never the ugly!

Tony will be sorely missed by his two children, son Gary Anthony Menegazzo and his wife Jan, and daughter Karen Rowan and her husband, Richard, as well as by two grandsons, Gary Michael Menegazzo and Robert Anthony Menegazzo. Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, November 19, 2018 at 10:00 am at St. John Bosco Catholic Church (2250 N. McVicker Ave.; Chicago, IL 60639). Burial will immediately follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in River Grove, IL.

Just hours before Tony passed on, a loving family member from Castello de Godego posted on Facebook a prophetic saying from St. Augustine:

“Colore che amiamo e che abbiamo perduto non sono piú dove erano, ma sono ovunque noi siamo,” which means, “Those we love and have lost are no longer where they were, but they are everywhere we are."