Anthony F. Ilick

Anthony Francis Ilick passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 in his bed in Lakewood, NJ. He is survived by his wife of 59 years Carol Wartenberg Ilick, his brother John Ilick of Seattle, WA, his daughter Sheri Ilick Hennig of Cynthiana, KY, his son Peter Ilick of Cairo, Egypt, and their spouses Jeff Hennig and Elizabeth Arrigoni, as well as four grandchildren Russell, Jesse, Bryce, and Sofia, and two great-grandchildren, Sadie and Rosalie and Russell’s spouse Shannon.

Known to family and friends as Tony, he was many things – a devoted husband and father, a veteran of the Korean War, a world traveler, a serious “company man,” a film-lover, a voracious reader, a life-long poker player, and eventually a half-way decent golfer.

Tony was born on December 18, 1931 in New York City to Helen Antoncic Ilick and Peter Ilick, and raised in the Chelsea area of Manhattan in the small Croatian immigrant community that worked largely as longshoremen. Tony was a smart kid – he quickly learned English upon entering school at age six and later skipped a grade, before being invited to attend an advanced program at Wingate JHS 40 in Manhattan. However, he was equally proud of spending entire school days at the New York Public Library, the one place he said “the truant officers wouldn’t look for you.” Along with making Tony a voracious reader, this extracurricular pursuit led to a strong, early sense of wanderlust.

At first chance, Tony enlisted in the US Air Force in May 1949. He would become a certified as a radar operator and then earn his Korean Service Medal and United Nations Service Medal as part of the 528th Aircraft Control and Warning Group on the Japanese island of Sado Shima. He would later earn his GED while in the Air Force.

Upon discharge in 1952, Tony returned to his family in New York City. He “shaped up” on the docks, worked in a pencil factory, and bounced through other short-lived jobs, while obtaining his Private Pilot’s License and taking and passing the NYC Police Entrance Exam. However, in 1955, he landed a job with TWA at Idlewild Airport in Queens, NY, which would once again feed his wanderlust. In 1958, he jumped at the opportunity for a three-year position with TWA in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, helping to build Saudi Arabian Airlines. Tony would serve 31 years with TWA, and then, another four years as a direct-hire with Saudia, the vast majority of his career in Jeddah. He rose from the figurative “mail room” at Idlewild Airport to become Director of Materials Management with Saudia.

In 1965, Tony and Carol married in a small ceremony in Carol’s hometown of Oradell, NJ. During the next 25 years, they lived as expats in Jeddah, seeing the city transform from a sleepy port town into a major regional hub, while setting up their stateside home in Oradell. Sheri and Peter were raised in Jeddah, but with a strong connection to Oradell, where they would later attend high school while living with their grandmother. Tony and Carol retired and left Jeddah in 1990, first living in their long-time “summer home” in Oradell, before moving on to Greenbriar Woodlands in Toms River, NJ, from 1995 until 2017, and then eventually, at Harrogate Retirement Community in Lakewood, NJ.

If one had to choose a theme song for Tony and Carol it would be Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me.” Both with the kids and without, and well into retirement, they enjoyed vacations and business trips throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa, as well as Kenya, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. In the early years, Beirut was their “home away from home,” with visits 4-5 times a year. They chose Beirut for the birth of their son Peter in 1968. Their last visit to the “Paris of Middle East” was for Easter 1975, which coincided with the start of the Lebanese Civil War.

Their life of travel did not end upon retirement. They christened a new car with a one-month road-trip to “discover” America and see many of the friends they had made over the previous 25 years while overseas. They continued to travel into their 80s, making twice-a-year trips to see their son in Egypt and their daughter in KY.

Tony was a long-life poker player and an avid golfer in his retirement years. Along with his family, he will be missed by the many friends he made across the table and on the links.

Tony will be laid to rest at Brigadier General William Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, NJ, on December 18, 2024, before family and friends gather to celebrate his life in Lakewood, NJ.

Arrangements are being made by the D’Elia Funeral Home, Lakewood, NJ. Condolences or messages to the family may be emailed to his son Peter at [email protected]. We ask people to post their favorite stories, memories, and photos of Tony below on this website, so we can have a lasting collection of memories from all the people he knew across the globe.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tony’s memory to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation or Christ Episcopal Church of Toms River, NJ.