My strong feelings when the Agatone family moved to Downingtown still feel like yesterday.  At 11yrs old, I had never experienced such loss and cried myself to sleep the night before Aggie left as I realized summer street hockey, little league baseball, football in the backyard, track, school, recess and all of the fun things after school would never be the same.  We made some connections after that, a Holy Cross football game, I think a De La Salle dance, but 25 miles to one car, 4 kid families, was a huge impediment.  Soon, the closest connection I had was delivering and collecting on my paper route at 600 Sherman. 

I always thought we could connect again and some 35 years later, learned Aggie felt the same.  My father passed away recently and in the receiving line, I was asked by a vaguely familiar face that looked 5 years younger than me, whether I recognized him.  What a gesture, what a person, what a friend even after all of these years.  His presence really picked up my spirits and in the few minutes after the service before the procession left we spoke briefly on family, job, etc… and most importantly catching up further in the future.  I was excited that we would now re-connect, but I never conceived of the thought of time being a factor.

Aggie was a great friend and I was so lucky to have him in my life as my role model for future friends.  As I can see from reading here, Anthony continued to make a similar, strong and positive impression on so many over the years and will be sorely missed and greatly loved.  My most heartfelt condolences to his parents, sisters, wife and children.  

Anthony and I had your typical big brother-baby sister relationship, he tortured me and I would hit him and run and hide behind my mother so he wouldn't be able to get me back.  Although he always found a way to get me back, somehow he was always just one step ahead of me!.  I thought and knew that he was the best brother any sister could ever ask for.  He was my friend and my protector, if I ever needed anything he would go and get whatever I was in need of.  All I had to do was pick up the phone and say "hey do you think you could do me a favor" and his answer would always be "what now and yes".  There was never a time when he would ever say no.  As a family we have a special bond that will never be broken, even though he is no longer with us he will always be in our hearts and watching over us as he always did.  
I will forever love you Anthony, your time on this earth was way too short but I know you are in heaven watching over everyone of us.

I would like to share my memories of the wonderful, loving relationship Anthony and my mom shared. From the time Anthony was a little boy he was the definition of a "Momma's Boy." They were fortunate enough to have an amazing bond of love, friendship, and mutual adoration that I know in my heart will stand even this unbelievably tragic time.  Anyone who knew Anthony knows that he would talk to my mom every day, not once a day, not twice a day.... Yep, three to four times a day. Of course if she didn't have the right tone, or she seemed sad or upset about something then the calls would increase until he was certain that she was ok.  We all love my mom with our whole heart, but there was something so special about their relationship, They shared a friendship like no other. Anthony truly thought the sun rose and set on his beautiful mom.  I know that Anthony is watching  over her and my promise to him  is to do  my very best to take care of her now that he can't be here to do it . I know that Anthony  went straight to her heart when he left us  Friday  morning and  will remain there forever . 

My dad would tell me all the time that Anthony asked about what I had done over the weekend or how many goals I had scored in soccer. Anthony always spoiled me with presents on my birthday and at Christmas.  He was the best godfather in the world and he meant so much to me.  God must have needed a lot of help to take Anthony away from us.  I will miss him so much.

There have been so many great times I’ve shared with Anthony over the past 20+ years that it’s hard to focus on just one.  We started at Boeing around the same time in 1991 and quickly became friends.  At one point, I left Boeing and moved away for two years and when I wanted to come back to the area I called Anthony to tell him I was using him as a reference.  Anthony hung up and called back a few hours later with 3 job offers he had lined up for me at Boeing.  That was typical Anthony – jumping right in and doing whatever he could to help his friends. 

As soon as I came back to Boeing, Anthony and I started our annual weekend trip to see a South Carolina football game.  It was one of the highlights of the year for me. We golfed, ate at our favorite places, tailgated with chocolate chip cookies and watched a different SEC opponent each year.  South Carolina is where we discovered and developed a mutual addiction to honey buttered croissants.  The croissants and the trip itself were the source of many jokes in our families and at work, but we laughed right along with everyone. 

I know the thing I will miss the most is not being able to talk with Anthony.  For so many years we started each day with a chat about our families and things going on in our lives.  Anthony’s stories always made me laugh, his occasional temper tantrums really made me laugh and I just had fun being around him. I truly admired Anthony because he was an amazing family man, had such a big heart and was a fantastic godfather to my son.  Anthony was the greatest friend a person could ever have and I can’t believe he’s gone, but I’m so thankful for the times we had together.

I haven't seen Anthony in almost ten years. It was our Etown reunion, 2004 or 2005. We all got together at a B&B in PA, teased and taunted each other, laughed and reminisced, and just enjoyed each others' company. It was like no time had passed at all since last getting the gang together. We're bonded to each other for life, the Etown crew, and we don't have to get together all the time to reinforce that bond, for it is unbreakable.

When Eric called today to tell me our Etown brother was gone, the word "bulletproof" popped into my head. In my mind, Anthony was bulletproof. While all of us that knew Anthony acknowledge that he was ultimately a softie with a heart of gold, vulnerable at times as we all are, I also looked up to him as a pillar of strength and goodness. God must need a helping hand up in heaven to have taken Anthony from us at such a young age.

Anthony was a rock for all of us, and a really funny one at that. His quick-witted, positive nature always made me feel I was in really good company whenever we were together. Because I live in Alaska, I've missed many get togethers, and I regret that I didn't get to see Anthony as the amazing husband and father I know he was.

My wife Christine and I have two sons, ages 14 and 11, and our hearts go out to Jamie, Dallin, Cade, and Cavan, as well as to Anthony's sisters and parents, and to his extended family and friends. If I know Anthony (and I basically lived with him for two years so I think I do), he loved you all immeasurably and wants you all to be strong now. To Jamie, may Anthony be present in your heart forever. To the boys, may your dad's love guide you through all you do in life. I lost my mom when she was 42, and though it was hard, I am stronger for it. You will get through this, and Anthony will be with you every step of the way.

Robert "Bobbo" Tasso, Eagle River, Alaska          

 

It has been many years since I have seen Anthony, but when I think of him I can still see  the handsome young man completely smitten with my best friend/college roomate Candy's beautiful, sweet little sister, Jamie. Even though they were initially "just friends" it was obvious that they were both crazy about each other. Anthony grinned from ear to ear & lit up whenever he was in Jamie's presence. We all knew it was just a matter of time before they became a couple & we enjoyed teasing them about it. How blessed Anthony & Jamie were to be able to turn that friendship into a beautiful marriage and family. 

I have one story that illustrates Anthony's helpful nature: During my last semester of college, Anthony  offered to watch my kitten while Candy & I went away for the weekend to attend the wedding of former classmates. At the last minute Anthony decided to go home to NJ for the weekend so I told him not to worry about the kitten. Despite my objections, he insisted on taking the kitten home with him. I'm sure his mom was less than thrilled when Anthony showed up at the door with a college friend's scraggly kitten! I'm sure she  was even less thrilled when the kitten got stuck behind their refrigerator! Despite everything, Anthony had promised to help me so that is what he did.

After reading all of the touching stories from Anthony's family & friends, it is obvious that Anthony continued to live his life helping others in both small and large ways. (And in the end there really are no small acts when it comes to kindness)  It is evident that his kindness made a world of difference to many people.  What a wonderful legacy he leaves his sons, wife & extended family.  I'm sending prayers, strength, and peace to Jamie, Dallin, Cade, Cavan, and the Knowles and Agatone families. May he rest in peace.  

I sit here with a pain in my heart and tears streaming down my cheeks as I read the incredible tributes to Anthony. No one particular story comes to my mind, just an overwhelming sense of who he was: intense, passionate and incredibly dedicated to his family.

Anthony always went above and beyond for his family. Jamie was always telling me of the generous and thoughtful things he would do. And, Anthony wanted nothing but the best for Dallin, Cade and Cavan. He encouraged his boys to give their best performance, no matter what the task, because he knew how capable they were.

Although I am saddened by the thought of Anthony not being physically present to see each boy reach life milestones, I know he has instilled his spirit and values in each of them and will always be there, cheering them on, encouraging them to give their best, supporting them, and smiling proudly from God's side-lines.

When I was about 2 years old, Anthony won my sister a stuffed animal at Fun City in Sea Isle but I was upset because I wanted one too so he played over and over until he won me my giraffe, Jerry. He could have bought fifty of them with the amount of money he spent trying to win him for me. I still have Jerry, he was my absolute favorite stuffed animal, the only one I kept all these years.

When I turned 16, Anthony would pick me up on Saturday mornings to teach me how to drive. He would let me drive him all over Mullica Hill until I took my test, and of course, I passed.

Before every homecoming and prom, I would go to the hair salon to get my hair done, and every time I went up to pay, they would tell me that Anthony came in before I got there to pay for it.

To me, those are the best examples of how Anthony would do anything for anyone. I am the luckiest niece in the world to have been blessed with such a generous, protective, and wonderful uncle. Words cannot describe how much I love you and miss you. I look forward to seeing you again.

Love,

Your Boo Head

I only knew Anthony when we were kids growing up. The family moved to NJ when we were in our early teens. But like they say you never forget your neighborhood friends you grew up with. Anthony was a good friend to me!! We always played hockey and football and baseball together on Craig lowes front yard. He was always respectable to everyone's parents to which ever house we were at. We were all sad when the Agatones left Springfield,, and somehow we lost touch as most people do. But thanks to FB we all reconnected over the years and we finally got together in 2014. It was great to see Anthony and to see how well he had done for himself! He had a great job and a great family and from what I have been reading here was a great father and husband to his 3 boys and wife. I was so happy I got to see him and his sisters after all those years but it was like we never lost touch! The only thing I know is that god must have needed him a lot more than we did!! RIP my old friend, you will be greatly missed. Hopefully we have have another reunion in heaven!! God bless, Rich McNeill

My dad and I had pretty much a regular father-son relationship.  We had our ups and downs, moments where we'd be happy, or teasing, or fighting. But now that he's gone, my mind is inevitably drawn to the good times. He took me to all those baseball and hockey games in the Boeing box, and watched a whole bunch of my cross-country and track meets. I remembered I dragged him to see the Cat in the Hat movie, something I will never forgive myself for doing. The last real father-son thing we ever did together was our annual Christmas tradition of watching Gremlins. 

And now that he's gone, I can't help but think of the things we won't be able to do together. He'll never be able to see my return to running. I'll never be able to share some of the things I love with him, like Ghostbusters, or Watchmen, or UHF. But I suppose that's the hard truth about life, you don't know what you have until its gone. 

One of my favorite memories involves of course the shore. If you know my brother at all you know what a caring, gentle compassionate person he was. He could not bear to see anyone or anything in pain. One year while we were all on a family vacation (we were teenagers) My mom and dad rented a condo on the beach in Sea Isle City( of course). Somehow a seagull got itself tangled in a kite string hanging from a telephone pole right outside. There was a large crowd gathered around watching him twist and screech in panic. Before I could blink, my brother Anthony ran down the steps and immediately shimmied up the light pole and cut the seagull down and set it free to the applause of the crowd. The thing is, he never thought twice about it or asked anyone's opinion. He just saw the seagull in trouble and came to the rescue. He did the same thing many times over the years with different people and different situations. What kind of person does that? I am proud to say MY BROTHER <3

     I met Anthony at Elizabethtown College during spring semester 1988.  I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. I remember seeing him in his Z Cavaricci pants, sweater, and baseball hat.  He had the most beautiful curly-haired mullet and a smile that simply sparkled. 

     There was something special about Anthony that set him apart from anyone else I had ever met. We quickly became close friends and, although many people didn't believe us because we were always together, we didn't share our first kiss until two years later---right before Anthony graduated. I guess neither one of us wanted to risk losing our special bond; but it was either now or never!

     The rest (as they say) is history. We got married on June 29, 1996, had Dallin in '98, Cade in '00, and Cavan in '04. The five of us were inseparable!

     Even in my dreams, I couldn't have imagined that he would be the most loyal husband, who always wanted to make my life better, and was the most devoted father to his sons. He couldn't do enough for us!  Anthony dedicated his life to all of those he loved!

     It is overwhelming to think about life without him. Who will pick out our clothes?  Who will know all of the good spots to see the cross country runners?  Who will offer a helping hand to anyone who needs it?  But I know he will be with us, guiding us through the days ahead.  I know there is a heaven because I want him to be as happy as he made me and someday I will be with him again.

     I want to thank all of our family and friends for the tremendous amount of thoughts, prayers, and support we have been given. It has really meant so much to the boys and me to know that Anthony was so loved and how many lives he has touched. Please continue to keep the boys in your prayers as they start to navigate through life without him.

    Christmas was always a special time for Anthony. I called him the "King of Christmas".  He couldn't decorate early enough or have too many. And gift giving was his specialty!  I truly wish everyone a blessed Christmas as I know he would too. 

Anthony was the first to realize that I was becoming a part of the family when I asked Candy to marry me.  He was a little confused given I am not the most romantic person and my proposal was somewhat unique and probably awkward. Anthony looked me right in the eye and asked "did you just get engaged?"  When I replied "I think I did", he had a big smile and firm hand shake to congratulate me and welcomed me to the family.  Needless to say he will be truly missed.

Anthony was so much more than an uncle to me he was my protector and my role model. He was always there and stopped at nothing to make sure I was safe. I'll forever miss him calling me panda or panda bear. I would act embarrassed when he'd do it in public, but I secretly loved it. Since I was the first child of the family, I was spoiled  rotten. He'd take me to the movies all the time and was always at my games cheering me on. I adored him from as far back as I can remember and my heart is so broken knowing that I don't have him here anymore. I have the greatest angel there is and I'm looking forward to seeing him again one day. 

I love you, Jamie and the boys with all my heart and  I'll be here for them just like you were always there for me. RIP You'll always be in my heart.

     My father was the most extraordinary dad, coach, uncle, son, cousin, husband and friend I’ve ever met, and we are remembering him by writing these stories. You may think we should think of this day as a bad memory, but we shouldn’t. These bad memories are a part of us, and they help us in life. If we never had these memories, we would be little fragile people that even the thought of a small shirt tear would scare us. I’m not saying we should treasure them, but we have to remember them. But, that doesn’t mean we should forget the great memories we had with him. When I heard the awful news, I broke down inside, but I remembered the fun we had watching TV, playing sports, going on vacation and just hugging each other. The thought that we made the most of our time together made me feel a bit better. Besides, he is in a better place with God, and God never gives us more than we can handle. 

One of my favorite memories of Anthony was when I first found out I was  pregnant with Miranda ( she was the first grandchild in my family).  Anyone who knows Anthony knows that he was going to worry himself silly until she arrived. I was coming down to visit one day and as I parked my car across the stree from their house and started to get out of my car I heard someone yell "Wait!"  I looked up and saw Anthony on the top deck of my parents house with his arms stretched out in front of him and a panicked look on his face. He looked up and down the street and them yelled " ok, it's safe to cross, BE CAREFUL!"  Hahaha I laughed so hard! My parents lived on 86th Street in Sea Isle City.... Not exactly a high traffic area, in fact pretty much a ghost town off season! I was the only car on the street ! He had always been my protector and now he had his new baby niece or nephew to protect. He never stopped protecting us, my girls always knew that no matter what it was, no matter the time the place the circumstances .... If they needed him , he was there in the time it took to hang up the phone and get wherever they were . I have been so sad and worried thinking they won't have him to count on anymore, but I know in my heart that he will be with them every single second of every single day... Phone calls are no longer necessary . 

I love you with my whole heart Anthony , and I am forever grateful God let me have you for as long as he did.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo 

Anthony was disgusted one time when he saw Audry and I kissing  outside when we were dating.  I thought it was funny that it made him so sick.  So Audry and I took a photo of ourselves kissing and  had it printed on a T shirt at the mall.  We gave him that T shirt as a Christmas gift.  He hated it!  I still have that T shirt. 
    Some quotes that will always remind me of Anthony are "How dare you!" That quote is actually part of my Agatone Christmas song, not sure if I ever sang it for him.  The other quote that reminds me of Anthony is "Right Mom?"  Whenever I hear that I think of him.  I'll never forget the infamous "finger point".  He could point his index finger with such a vengeance that the distal joint would curve down.  He tried to show me how to do it at the Lobster House a few years ago.  I couldn't do it, so he gave up and said "you have to be really pissed off to be able to do it." 
    I will never forget Christmas at Anthony's.  For the last I don't know how many years, he would always greet me with a chilled bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream whiskey, along with two Bailey's drink glasses.  I have about 10 of those glasses now...I had to start giving some of them away.  I just know that I will miss him and will always remember him in my prayers.  He was a great brother in law to me.  

As I sit here reading the amazing family tributes to Anthony I remain in total shock and disbelief that he’s actually gone.  

On October 7, 2014 my Mother had a stroke. Over the subsequent 3 weeks she had 6 additional strokes. On October 28th we put her in hospice and she passed away on November 9, 2014. Every single day, without fail, for over a month I received a phone call an e-mail or a text from Anthony asking me how Mom, myself and my family were doing and asking if there was anything he could do for me. 

When he came to her funeral he hugged me and tried to comfort me and my family. The following night he called me on the phone just to see how I was holding up. We spoke for 45 minutes ---he just wanted to make sure I was alright and if I needed anything.  That’s the type of person he was caring, compassionate and always giving of himself expecting nothing in return. A rare trait these days.

Every Christmas I bought him the same gifts -- 2 boxes of peppermint crèmes and an ornament for their tree with all of their names. Mainly because he would get upset if I didn’t (not about the ornament) it was all about the candy. We all know how much Anthony loved his chocolate. One year I told him Williams Sonoma stopped making peppermint crèmes. He said they did not, and, if I remember correctly he went on line and checked. He said I better be getting them --- but always with a smile.  

Last year,  he told me Jamie got excited when he took home a container with peppermint bark apparently, she and the boys like the peppermint bark? Unfortunately, it was only a box used to throw him off from what was really inside.  He told me the next day of Jamie’s disappointment and I went out and picked up some peppermint bark for him to take home to "Saint Jamie". (I would joke with him saying she was a saint for marrying him).  

i don't think he liked  to share his candy. I seem to remember him saying he had to hide it from his sister. I had a box  over thanksgiving for my family and the following Monday,  around 6 in the morning,  I took him in about a dozen pieces for a teaser before Christmas. He was excited but always so regimented. Later that morning, we were in a meeting in his office and I saw the bag on his desk and commented that they were still there. He said not before lunch. I’m thankful I took him a few mints early this year.  

Well buddy, all your favorite Christmas gifts this year were already at my house along with some peppermint bark for Jamie & the boys. I'll make sure they get where they were intended to go.

Safe journey my friend. I look forward to our meeting again someday.