He was born on Staten Island on May 16, 1930. His father, Anthony Nastasi, was a successful building contractor and his mother, Angiolina Liberatore Nastasi was a homemaker.
Dr. Nastasi attended St. John’s Villa Academy and St. Peter’s High School on Staten Island as well as Wagner College, where he double majored, receiving his bachelor's degrees. This was followed by his travel to Italy to attend medical school at the prestigious University of Bologna. He was granted a degree in medicine and surgery in 1959 and returned to New York City for internship and residency training in orthopedic surgery. His practice in orthopedics began on Staten Island. Desiring further training, he then entered a program at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan earning his Fellowship in Spinal Deformities.
As a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery he was board certified in orthopedics and was also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He practiced in Staten Island, Casper, Wyoming, and Syracuse, New York for 62 years until 2012 when Hurricane Sandy damaged his home.
His surgical abilities brought many firsts to the community of Casper, Wyoming, where he undertook the first total hip, total knee, ACL reconstructions, finger joint replacements and scoliosis surgery at Memorial Hospital. He held orthopedic clinics in Cody, Wyoming and Gillette, Wyoming, serving those who lacked an orthopedic surgeon or required his special skills.
His love of the outdoors had brought him to Casper, Wyoming from Staten Island, where he was an avid backpacker and camper. He attempted to hunt but did not have the heart for it, instead learning horsemanship, scuba diving and honing his carpentry skills at his log home on Casper Mountain. He also became a licensed pilot, giving him the ability to fly to his clinics in Gillette despite inclement weather.
He met his wife Amaryllis in Wyoming and they were married in 1985 in the bride’s hometown of Tampa. Returning to Casper, they chose to close his practice and return to New York where Dr. Nastasi practiced orthopedics from 1985 to 2000, ending his practice in Syracuse, New York. During this time Dr. Nastasi and his wife learned to sail and purchased a sailboat. They then moved to Stuart, Florida where they lived aboard while he attended seamanship school, receiving his 100 ton captain’s license. They spent time sailing in the Bahamas and living aboard in the Dominican Republic for several months.
Upon his mothers’ death at 102 years of age, in 2004, Dr. Nastasi and his wife Amy returned to Staten Island and purchased his mother’s home from the estate. He again began practicing orthopedics on Staten Island until he retired in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy damaged his home. During restoration of his home by his brother-in-law, J.C. Hendry, the home which his grandfather Francesco Nastasi had built, Dr. Nastasi’s carpentry training was again utilized as evidenced by the beautiful woodworking he and J.C. accomplished. Dr. Nastasi also resumed his stone sculpting which he began in Wyoming and was an avid target marksman during his latter years.
He had many interests and plans left unfulfilled
Dr. Nastasi is survived by his wife Amaryllis Ann Hendry Nastasi, by his sons, Dr. Michael Anthony Nastasi and his wife Holly Curtis Nastasi of College Station, Texas and Anthony John Nastasi of Sacramento, California, his daughters Ancela Rose Nastasi, Esq. of Manhattan, New York and Dr. Lisa Rose Nastasi of Manhattan, New York, his grandson, Samuel Nastasi Feinburg and his granddaughter, Sascha Belle Nastasi, budding actress of Manhattan, New York.
He also leaves behind many loving in laws, nieces and nephews in the Tampa area who supported him throughout the years and during his illness especially. Without them he would not have had peace of mind.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 1 (800) 805-5856, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or [email protected].
A graveside service for Anthony will be held Saturday, July 9, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM at The Italian Club Cemetery L’Unione Italiana, 3009 N 26th St, Tampa, FL 33605.
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