Anthony A. Angelicola

Anthony A. Angelicola, age 85, of Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains, and formerly of North Haledon, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Tony, as he was known by family and friends, was born and raised in Paterson, NJ.  He attended the Paterson school system, where he met the love of his life, Anna or Annie, as he called her.  He attended East Side High School.  In 1955, at the young age of 17, he married Anna and enlisted in the Army.  While serving on Active Duty, Tony learned to repair airplanes and helicopters, and became a skilled mechanic.  Upon honorable discharge from the Army in 1958, he went to work in auto body repair.  He soon realized he could combine his skill set of mechanics with his organizational and people skills to land a job with Allstate Insurance Company.  He held several positions with the company during his nearly 40 year tenure, the last of which was Property Claims Manager. 

Tony and Anna remained in Paterson for the first twelve years of their marriage, and then moved to North Haledon in 1967.  It was here that they raised their three children, and it was here that they called “home” for many decades.  They enjoyed 38 years of marriage together before Anna lost her battle with cancer in 1993.  He would never remarry, insisting that he already had a wife…Anna.

His family was the most important thing to him and he always made each of his children feel important and loved.  He coached sports teams, served as a scout leader, attended school functions, and remained a loving and supportive parent throughout the years and until his time of death. 

Tony always maintained his love of mechanical things.  He could fix just about anything, and he was especially fond of and good at fixing engines of any kind, both large and small.  He was a skilled carpenter as well, and added an addition to his home, built a garage and workshop where he could tinker, and finished basements for himself and his children.  He was an avid reader and loved learning about all kinds of things.  He took numerous college courses and certifications in subjects of interest to him.  He loved playing on his computer and forwarding what seemed like a million emails a week to his children and grandchildren!

His oldest daughter remembers her Dad as being a great listener, a skill he passed on to her that she deems to be one of the most important skills a person can possess. 

Tony is survived by his three children:  Ann Meyer and her husband Richard of Tewksbury, Patty Goerl of Wayne, and Carlo Angelicola and his wife Susan of Morris Plains, his three grandchildren:  Jessica Pertuz and her husband Gregory, Matthew Goerl and his wife Dakota, and Nicholas Goerl and his wife Stefani, and three great grandchildren:  James Goerl, Indiana Goerl and Lucas Anthony Pertuz, one sister, Gloria Varcadipane of Illinois, and his “Brother from another Mother”, Ben Della Cerra of North Haledon.  Tony was predeceased by his wife Anna in 1993, his grandson, Jordan Meyer in 2007, a brother Dan, a sister Caroline Biagi, and by his son in law, James Goerl in 2014. 

For those wishing to make a donation in Tony’s memory and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.  

For those wishing to make a donation in Tony’s memory, please consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.