Born and raised in Brooklyn, he moved to Great Kills in 1978.
Mr. Ancona was a foreman for the city Sanitation Department, assigned to Staten Island.
He served in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division from 1969 to 1970, seeing duty in Vietnam. He was a member of the American Legion and Amvets.
He enjoyed movies, especially westerns and action films, and was a history buff. He also liked to eat and smoke cigarettes.
Mr. Ancona was close to his son-in-law, Brett Levine, said his daughter, Erica.
"He had a huge heart and would give the shirt off his back. He loved his two grandchildren." his daughter added.
Also surviving Mr. Ancona are his son, Frank, and his brothers, John and Frank.
There will be a memorial mass Saturday at 11 a.m. in St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills. Arrangements, including cremation, are being handled by the Casey-McCallum-Rice South Shore Funeral Home, also Great Kills.
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