Memories of Micheal Anelli and his administration are  lasting memories.

On behalf of the members of Western Zone of NYSRTA/RENY, heartfelt sympathy and prayers are sent to the family of Michael.  A donation will be made, in honor of your loved one, to the Robert R. DeCormier Memorial Trust Fund.of NYSRTA, which assists retired educators in need. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Anelli was principal at City Honors during my years there (86-94). While I did get in trouble on his watch (I was suspended for one day) he was always kind. I ran into him at an Arby's after I graduated and he remembered me by name. I always felt that meant a lot to me. My favorite initiative of his was camping at Red House every year. Honestly couldn't have been done at any other school. I won't forget him!!!

My sincerest condolences to the Anelli family and loved ones. I remember Mr. Anelli from my years at Riverside HS. I graduated in 1973 with a Regents Scholarship. Mr. Anelli was always fair and caring, and he did all he could to allow opportunities for me to develop  skills and self- confidence. He inspired me in many ways  when I later became a teacher. I will always remember him as a mentor and an example of what an educator ought to be. 

I had the pleasure of having Mr Anelli not only for my home room teacher for four years but also my history teacher for my junior and senior years. He would make history class a lot of fun. During my senior year he had all the home room over to his house for a cookout.  Everyone enjoyed that. He always made a point to attend our class reunions. He will always be remembered as the best teacher I have ever had. RIP  Mr Anelli

Don Erb
RHS class of 65

My family Marc, Rick, Dean, Lynn, and Dawn Cameron all had the pleasure to have Mr Anelli as our Principal. He led the way and influenced the students in a positive manner. RIP from the Cameron family 🙏❤️

The  Buffalo  Retired  Administrators'  Association  extends  sympathy  to  the  family  of  Michael   Anelli.   Mike  was  a  
dedicated,  supportive  member  of  the  organization and
attended  as  long  as  health  allowed.

BRAA

My sincere condolences to Mr. Anelli's Family & Friends for your great loss. Such a great teacher & principal. I was in RHS Class of 1960 going forward several years later I was again at RHS this time with my eldest son Greg for his graduation. We had the pleasure of Mr. Anelli talking with us. I will always remember his saying that he wondered how long it would be before one of his previous students children would be at Riverside but he hadn't thought it would be that soon. Such a nice friendly, kind man  that will be missed by so many. GOD Bless . 
Judy Scoma

I am saddened to learn of Mike's death. I am in Florida until May and cannot attend the wake. He was a great inspiration to me as a new teacher at Riverside H.S.  Truly a great educator.

Mike Anelli blended human kindness into his role as principal.  We were blessed to have him as our leader. He will be missed.
Best wishes to his family.

Dear Karin and Marlene
I was so sorry to learn of Mike’s passing.  Last we talked he was excited about moving in with you Karin....the light of his life. 
Family was everything to Mike as you know.  His leadership in our neighborhood and pride in his yard was testimony to his high standards. 

May your memories be of the happier times you shared along with knowing how much you were loved. 

Lenore Levy

To find a teacher in high school so willing and eager to share their love of teaching with a deep regard for the humanity of the student is rare indeed. Mike’s caring was deep and genuine and offered with a generosity of spirit that made me, and certainly many others,  feel validated and appreciated.

Several weeks ago my 7 year old granddaughter Maddie called me upset. She was listening to her father’s albums and heard Pink Floyd’s the Wall. She wanted to know if it was like that for me. (she wanted an example of dark sarcasm in the classroom.) Were teachers cruel? Eventually we got around to high school and Mr. Anelli and Eleanor Sigismund. I told her she would be lucky to have teachers like that.

And indeed we were.


Ed Miner
RHS 65

Mr. Anelli was the best teacher I had at RHS— knowledgeable , clear, kind, approachable, inspiring.  He  was liked and respected by everyone in our class and probably had a lot to do with me majoring in history.  I’m saddened by his passing but am struck by how many lives he enriched.  A truly admirable man. 
Marshall Goldstein, RHS ‘66

As a central office administrator, Michael was an outstanding principal with whom to interact; he would listen carefully, respond professionally, and lead with ability and accomplishment. There were few like him. He is sadly missed. RIP

I am very saddened to hear of Mr. Anelli’s passing. I hold Mr. Anelli in the highest regard. He was proof that leadership and vision do not require loud voices or being unkind. May he Rest In Peace.

He was the best teacher I ever had. Universally loved. 

Mr. Anelli was my HS principal while I did 4 years at RHS he was a quiet guy I never heard him raise his voice! Rest In Peace sir 🙏 my deepest sympathy to friends and family 

Mr. Anelli was my homeroom teacher from 1958-1961. Us boys called him "Uncle Mike" I think because of his kindly nature. He invited the whole homeroom to his house after graduation, a memory that still stays with me. I had the pleasure of meeting him again many years later when I was working for Erie 1 Boces and he was the RHS principal at the time. It made me happy that he recognized me after all the years. He made a difference in my life and will be missed.

I just wish to express my condolences on the passing of my Principle at City Honors High School, 1980-81 at the former Fosdick Masten property in east Buffalo.  He was a fine man and also a leader at Riverside High School, with my father Anthony, a history teacher under his charge there in the 1970's.  Mr. Anelli will always be remembered!

Mr. Anelli was a nice man. 
I respected him.

I remember Mr Anelli as my high school Assistant principal at Riverside in 1969 and what a great administrator he was. He always cared and took an interest in his students. I offer my condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.
Mike Volk

I'm so sorry for the passing of one of the key people from my high school years who had a dramatic impact on my life. Mr. Anelli was a good man and easy to talk to. We never seem to appreciate those who have formed our character until we look back on our own lives. R.I.P.,  Michael Anelli. You will be missed. 

Looks like I am one of the oldest student. I went to RHS in 62 and graduated 63. I should have graduated in 62 but when I came to this country I repeated 1st grade here so I was the elder of the class. I have good memories of Mr Anelli and Mr Bucella, hopefully he is still with us. Here is a picture of Mr Anelli when he gave us the tour of the remodeled RHS in 2013 at our 50th Reunion. 

Mr. Anelli, you taught me this after catching me smoking in the Boy's room in 1969. In all these years I have never forgotten that day. Thank you and Rest In Peace!
           "Michael was first derived from the name Mikha'el, meaning “who is like God?” in Hebrew. In Hebrew tradition, Michael was one of the archangels."

I was a student at City Honors back in the early 1990s.  What I remember so well is how much Mr. Anelli cared about the school and all of us who attended.  It was so much more than just a job for him.  That school was his life; and his dedication set the tone for all of us.  The education that I got at City Honors was second to none.  I later went on to Yale and I felt that many of my classes at CHS were every bit as good, if not better, than the ones I took at Yale.  I also valued the diversity of students that existed at CHS.  It was just such a remarkable school.   Mr. Anelli should claim some significant credit for this.  He was the consummate gentlemen and diplomat, managing such an eclectic, opinionated, and sometimes quarrelsome lot of students, teachers, and parents.  What a task!  And he managed it with grace.  It was only years later, as a parent, with kids of my own – visiting their schools and meeting their principals – that I realized just how Mr. Anelli true value – and just how light his touch was.  He let the school be what it wanted to be – a safe environment that was not rulebound – a place of learning where the goal was knowledge and experimentation, not teaching for the test – a home where we could all feel some measure of belonging at an age where we were scared and just craving acceptance.  I, like so many of my classmates, was the beneficiary of Mr. Anelli’s vision and devotion.  To be sure, he was a very mild-mannered fellow; and it would be possible to mistake this gentility for a lack of passion, but to do so would be to seriously misjudge this man.  His passion was evinced by the fact that he quietly, yet devotedly, took an interest in every student he met – knew our names, where we lived, and what we hoped to be.  We were his family; and, in many ways, he was the quiet, caring uncle, who we knew ultimately wanted the best for each of us.  We were his beneficiaries and we will all mourn his loss.         

Prayers and condolences on your loss. Truly a one of a kind teacher and person who left this person with so many fond memories even after way too many years.  Thank you Mr. Anelli for being you.

RIP. Mr Anellie you were a great person an icon in the community and made a difference in many lives you touched. Always remembered and admired❤️

My principal from 1975-1979: awesome man and personality! You will be missed 

          Deeply sorry to learn of my former home room (1961-65) and freshman Civics teacher’s passing.  My condolences to his family.
          A small number of names or things said or done of our many teachers are remembered.  No, I would never forget Mr. Anelli.  For those 4 critical, formative years of our lives, he created a space where everyone felt welcomed.  At the end of our Senior year, Mr. Anelli held a backyard BBQ picnic for his homeroom class at his house. 
          My life is in Alpine, TX returning annually to Buffalo-WNY in late summer.  In 2019 Mr. Anelli was on my mind and I made a point to locate an address and phone number on-line and made the call.  It had been a long time since last seeing him at a Thanksgiving Day City Championship football game at All-High Stadium a few years after graduating. 
          I had changed my name from Goldstein to Zavah, but Mr. Anelli remembered me.  I thanked him for his influence, kindnesses and implanting a start in American civics never forgotten.  It was an anchor to a Political Science major and Juris Doctor degree with a career in public service as an Erie County Assistant District Attorney.  He expressed his thanks for my call, which I could hear in his voice. It meant something to him. 
          Very few attain acknowledgment in the form of of a public edifice, roadway, library, bridge.  Rather, it is the countless young minds molded, influencing generations to come, that is the immortal mark of my teacher and countless others among those posting a memory here, whom Mr. Michael Anelli influenced for the better.   


I had the pleasure of studying history with Mr Anelli and I also returned to RHS as a student teacher in American History  in 1969-70. Mr Anelli is one of those teachers you remember all your life. He was fair. He was fun and he was someone always there for the students. We have all lost a fine teacher and mentor but the world is a much finer place because Mr Anelli  was a part of it. May his memory always be a blessing. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends
Class of 1966

Mr. Anelli was the principal of Riverside High School when I taught there. I always found him to be kind and just in his duties. He had a very collegial approach: laid back, but meant business.  Later, he was the principal at City Honors when my children attended. He understood the type of students who went there and their needs. Again, he administered with an understated presence and strength, yet so effective. Thank you for being an example to so many teachers and students over the years. You will be missed. 

Mike was a very caring principal of City Honors School where I taught Social Studies. He gave generously of his time and support to our award winning Model UN team, driving the team to compete at the Harvard Model UN in Boston. 

Michael Anelli was a very wealthy man. His wealth was not accrued in currency nor precious metals but in adding value to the people who knew him best: friends, family and most of all- his students. As a student in his American History Class at Riverside High School, he opened my eyes to the what, why and how of the experiment in self government known as the United States of America. Singlehandedly, Mr. Anelli changed the direction of my life in a simple yet profound way- knowledge coupled with caring.
My deepest sympathies to all who knew him.
I shall miss him very much.

Russ Gugino

I was so sorry to hear of Mr  Anelli’s  passing. A wonderful teacher and a special person. He knew how to walk that fine line that allowed him to relate to his students, so that we saw him as a leader, a respected man and always  a friend.. But you knew he was the one you could always come to for advice and guidance. A man with class and humility. 

May he rest in peace.

Elliott Schulman 
Riverside 1965 


When Mr. Anelli broke his leg skiing, he soon returned to his duties as Riverside's Assistant Principal in a wheelchair---to which he had added a large "NO RIDERS" sign.  That light touch was always a partner to his serious mission, helping him to teach, guide, inspire, and in many ways build the extraordinarily wide and warm community we were so fortunate to have at Riverside.

With fond memories and much gratitude,
Bradley Ware, RHS '67

A wonderful teacher, a kind man and someone to look up to.  We were all gifted by his presence in our lives.,,Rest in peace.
Chuck Sull, President of the class in RHS 1967.

A great teacher, a great leader, a great mentor.   Homeroom teacher from 1961-1965.  A tremendous support for me when my dad passed in October 1964.  Rest in Peace
Ed Gallin
egallin@kslsecurity.com

Mr. Anelli gave new life to history... it was never boring. The humor he injected into each lesson made learning an enjoyable experience. 
He and his fun partner, Miss Carney, added a lot of laughs to hallways and after class gab fests. 
I was his student during 1961-65... glad to have had the good fortune to know him. 
Condolences to all of his family and friends🙏

To the Family of Michael Anelli:

Mr. Anelli was principal of Riverside High School back when my class graduated in 1971. Since that time, he always made an effort to attend any of the Class Reunions to stay in touch with the many students whose lives he touched. He was a good and fair man with an even temperament. May his memory be eternal.

Ann Perdicas Rossiter

OBITUARY

Michael J. Anelli

July 15, 1934 – March 30, 2021

Perna, Dengler, Roberts Funeral Home

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