CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Anthony “Tony” Marino

Tony: To know him was to love him. Born and raised in Riverside and Delran, he was proud of where he came from and all the hard work to get him where he was. You could find him in one of three places: in the window making sure nobody walked on his grass, in his garage working on his latest project, or out to his favorite restaurant showing off his most recent pictures of his grandkids.
He was a man of many talents. If it was broke, he could fix it: anything, anywhere, anytime. Family and friends alike all relied on his abilities to turn a wrench. Every family member had a piece of furniture that he’d crafted especially for them, some projects just from looking at a picture. His garage was his castle; it had every tool you could ever need, and he knew precisely where every screw and washer could be found (don’t forget to shut the door behind you!). His talents came in handy for the vast majority of his working life as a mechanic servicing Pepsi vending machines. One thing he never budged on: Absolutely no Coca-Cola in his house!
He was handsome and athletic in his youth. At Riverside High School, he played on the boys’ basketball team and led them to a State Champion title. There is where he met the love of his life, and high school sweetheart, Roseann. They locked eyes from across the gymnasium and the rest was history. In the off season, you could find him on the baseball field scooping ground balls on second base. From there, he was asked to try out for the Philadelphia Athletics but instead, decided to enlist in the army come graduation time. He was proud of his service to our nation and boasted his experiences whenever he had the chance.
Of course, he found his real calling late in life as a grandfather. He may have been a strict dad but as a Pop-Pop (and Great Pop-Pop) he was a pushover. Nothing was out of reach when it came to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In his spare time, he cheered for the Flyers and the Eagles and had the sports memorabilia to prove that he was a die-hard fan. He loved to listen to the music of the 50’s and 60’s though lately country had his ear. He was never shy at showing off his silly dance moves with his grandkids, and with their help, even learned to twerk. He was a third-degree Knight at the Maple Shade Knights of Columbus and loved to talk your ear off when it came to his old western movies.
66-years of beautiful marriage blessed him with two daughters, Debra Anthony-Wirth (Richard) and Deann Solomon (Jerry); and later by grandchildren, James Anthony (Michele), Christopher Anthony (Jen), Anastasia Lindenman (Brandon), Margaret Solomon, and Ashley Winslow; and great-grandchildren, Noah, Raina, Leah, Chase, Ronan, Piper and Ava. He is survived by his sister, JoAnn Winner, his brother Paul (Melissa) and many nieces and nephews.
Come celebrate 86 great years Friday, December 1st from 5-7 p.m. at Sweeney Funeral Home, Riverside where there will be a 7 p.m. Storytime Service. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, December 2nd, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Beverly. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for memorial contributions to be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.