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February 27, 2017
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 10:30 AM in the funeral home, followed by interment at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Butler.
Anthony J. Giannetti, age 96, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 27, 2017.
Born and raised in Montclair, the second of Pasquale and Lucia Giannetti’s seven children, Anthony attended Montclair High School but, like so many of his contemporaries, he withdrew in 1937 before getting the chance to graduate, so that he could help his father in the family landscape and gardening business. From 1940 to 1942 Anthony worked as a shipping and receiving checker for Walter Kidde Corporation, manufacturer of fire extinguishers in Bloomfield.
In 1942, Anthony was drafted and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He attained the rank of Corporal in the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron serving exclusively in Alaska as the squadron’s chief cook and baker. His job was a big undertaking as he had to prepare breakfast, dinner and supper for approximately 300 men. One of the perks of being the cook that Anthony really enjoyed was not having to be out in the cold Alaska climate for long periods at a time. For his proud service he was the recipient of the World War II Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the American Theater Medal and Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal.
Upon Anthony’s return to civilian life in 1945, he worked for a short time for his father before finding a career as a masonry construction laborer with Montclair Laborers Local 464. Most of his work over his 35-year career took place in Montclair, Verona and Fairfield and he retired in 1986.
To the best of his children’s recollection, Anthony met his wife-to-be Geraldine McMinn in 1959 at a dance. They married that same year and went on to enjoy a life of love that spanned twenty-nine years living in Butler, Montclair, and most recently in Wayne since 1968. Sadly, Geraldine passed away from cancer in 1988, just as she and Tony were entering their golden years of retirement. Throughout her illness, Anthony faithfully and lovingly cared for his dear wife.
Anthony valued the simple things of life like a roof over his head and food on the table. A child of the depression, he held strongly to the value of wasting nothing and never living to excess. When he went to purchase one of the cars that he drove throughout his lifetime, he had his eyes on the thrifty Toyota Tercel. His family tried to convince him to upgrade to the Corolla but Anthony would not hear of it. To him, a car was about getting from point A to point B and doing it as cheaply as possible. To him the Tercel was perfect and he really enjoyed that little car for many years. He believed in the virtue of hard work so much that he could never understand why his sons would go to the gym to work out when they could get huge muscles like he did by doing something like hauling masonry block for a living.
Tony’s enjoyment of cooking carried over from his days in the service and he especially liked to prepare chicken dishes and London broil. He was a man of habits and his day always started with the reading of the local newspaper. He’d work a little in his garden in which he strictly grew tomatoes and cucumbers. When it was time for a break, nothing made him more content than sitting out on his patio, soaking in the warmth of the sun (remember how he didn’t like the coldness of Alaska) and enjoying looking out over his back yard. He loved cheering for his beloved New York Yankees and rarely missed an opportunity to catch the game on television. While he never saw Babe Ruth actually play, Anthony did get to see him once at the stadium when the Yankees honored him after he retired.
Above all, Anthony loved his family the most. He loved time spent with his children and four grandchildren.
Anthony was predeceased by his beloved wife Geraldine (McMinn) Giannetti in 1988. He is survived by his two dear sons: Patrick of Wayne, and Alan of Rockaway; his dear daughter Marie and husband Louis Luisi of Totowa; and four cherished grandchildren: Dominick, Victoria, Meagan, Matthew. He was also predeceased by his six dear siblings: Phyllis, John, Frank, Connie, Marie, and Eleanor.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 10:30 AM in the funeral home, followed by interment at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Butler.
February 27, 2017
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 10:30 AM in the funeral home, followed by interment at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Butler.
Anthony J. Giannetti, age 96, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 27, 2017.
Born and raised in Montclair, the second of Pasquale and Lucia Giannetti’s seven children, Anthony attended Montclair High School but, like so many of his contemporaries, he withdrew in 1937 before getting the chance to graduate, so that he could help his father in the family landscape and gardening business. From 1940 to 1942 Anthony worked as a shipping and receiving checker for Walter Kidde Corporation, manufacturer of fire extinguishers in Bloomfield.
In 1942, Anthony was drafted and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He attained the rank of Corporal in the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron serving exclusively in Alaska as the squadron’s chief cook and baker. His job was a big undertaking as he had to prepare breakfast, dinner and supper for approximately 300 men. One of the perks of being the cook that Anthony really enjoyed was not having to be out in the cold Alaska climate for long periods at a time. For his proud service he was the recipient of the World War II Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the American Theater Medal and Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal.
Upon Anthony’s return to civilian life in 1945, he worked for a short time for his father before finding a career as a masonry construction laborer with Montclair Laborers Local 464. Most of his work over his 35-year career took place in Montclair, Verona and Fairfield and he retired in 1986.
To the best of his children’s recollection, Anthony met his wife-to-be Geraldine McMinn in 1959 at a dance. They married that same year and went on to enjoy a life of love that spanned twenty-nine years living in Butler, Montclair, and most recently in Wayne since 1968. Sadly, Geraldine passed away from cancer in 1988, just as she and Tony were entering their golden years of retirement. Throughout her illness, Anthony faithfully and lovingly cared for his dear wife.
Anthony valued the simple things of life like a roof over his head and food on the table. A child of the depression, he held strongly to the value of wasting nothing and never living to excess. When he went to purchase one of the cars that he drove throughout his lifetime, he had his eyes on the thrifty Toyota Tercel. His family tried to convince him to upgrade to the Corolla but Anthony would not hear of it. To him, a car was about getting from point A to point B and doing it as cheaply as possible. To him the Tercel was perfect and he really enjoyed that little car for many years. He believed in the virtue of hard work so much that he could never understand why his sons would go to the gym to work out when they could get huge muscles like he did by doing something like hauling masonry block for a living.
Tony’s enjoyment of cooking carried over from his days in the service and he especially liked to prepare chicken dishes and London broil. He was a man of habits and his day always started with the reading of the local newspaper. He’d work a little in his garden in which he strictly grew tomatoes and cucumbers. When it was time for a break, nothing made him more content than sitting out on his patio, soaking in the warmth of the sun (remember how he didn’t like the coldness of Alaska) and enjoying looking out over his back yard. He loved cheering for his beloved New York Yankees and rarely missed an opportunity to catch the game on television. While he never saw Babe Ruth actually play, Anthony did get to see him once at the stadium when the Yankees honored him after he retired.
Above all, Anthony loved his family the most. He loved time spent with his children and four grandchildren.
Anthony was predeceased by his beloved wife Geraldine (McMinn) Giannetti in 1988. He is survived by his two dear sons: Patrick of Wayne, and Alan of Rockaway; his dear daughter Marie and husband Louis Luisi of Totowa; and four cherished grandchildren: Dominick, Victoria, Meagan, Matthew. He was also predeceased by his six dear siblings: Phyllis, John, Frank, Connie, Marie, and Eleanor.
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