Anthony Florio

Anthony Joseph Florio

Anthony J. Florio, best known as “Tony”, age 73, of Wayne, NJ passed away on Friday, December 29, 2023.

Tony was born on January 11, 1950, in The Bronx, NY to Joseph and Barbara (Roberts) Florio and raised in Hackensack, NJ.  Growing up, Tony was a very talented roller skater.  Alongside his sister, Theresa, they skated in the American Roller Skating Association and won many medals and awards throughout the years.

Tony was a hardworking man, and would say, “you can’t sit around and wait for things to come to you.  You have to go out there and work for them,” to which he always did.  Tony worked most of his life as a Car Salesman throughout Sussex County.  After retirement he enjoyed keeping busy and hosted for local Italian Restaurants and was a cashier for Target.

While Tony loved many things, he was best known for his love of music, most notably Pink Floyd, a love that he would also pass on to his children.  Tony was a man of many words.  He enjoyed creative writing where his words flowed eloquently and effortlessly.  In one of his last writings, he leaves behind these words, “Try not to be so hard on yourself.  It’s only life after all.  Life is a series of moments linked together offering a road map to your true purpose here… the answer to why.”

Also known as the family comedian, Tony was anything but traditional.  The formality of an obituary would have been incredibly boring and uncreative.  If he could have written this himself, he would have absolutely inserted a joke or two.  He would have said, “Survived by… I’m lucky I made it as long as I did with you people around me.”  He always enjoyed a quick-witted joke like that.

Tony is survived by his three children, Tonimarie and Elizabeth, both of New Jersey, as well as Joseph and his wife Casey of Massachusetts.  He will also be missed by his siblings, Theresa and Ralph, his former wife, Mary, and his three grandchildren: Patrick, JJ, and Arlo.  In addition to his parents, Tony is predeceased by the mother of his children, Patricia in 2012 and grandchild, Anthony in 2011.

And as Tony would say, “Hey, don’t forget to keep a smile.”