Anthony Passed Away

[ParkerDuofold]

I do want to apologize upfront for being so absent, but this has been a terrible shock.

 

I showed this thread to Anthony's immediate family and they were all deeply touched by the familial atmosphere that exists here. His mother was particularly emotional about it; yes, Praxim, his mother IS still alive. :-)

 

When Anthony said she "died," he would put it in quotes, (the times I read it), because while she was clinically dead on three separate occasions; the physicians were able to resuscitate her each time and she was miraculously able to make a full recovery.

 

She stayed with Anthony for a few months while she recovered and has been back home since January, I think; although with this, she may decide to sell her house and move in with her middle son, Carmine and his family. Anthony was her baby... and they shared that special bond. She is pretty shook up, to be sure.

 

Speaking of their bond; some of you probably already know Anthony was a singer for a rock group in high school, but what you don't know, (because he never wanted to slight his father in public), is he was offered a recording contract, but his father refused to sign for him and then made him turn it down later. He said he'd disown him as his son if he went into entertainment.

 

At his mom's behest, he conceded to his father's demand and didn't pursue it any further, but it did cause quite a rift between them. That is why Anthony sold cars for his uncle to pay his way through college; his father had his tuition and expenses set aside, but Anthony refused to take it.

 

I never saw him perform in that way, but his family and friends from that time, say he was pretty good. He did reconcile with his dad in the late '90s. In the father's defense, he knew what an ugly business the entertainment industry is and he was just trying to shield Anthony from that, because he did love Anthony, very much. I'm glad they were able to reconcile long before the father died unexpectedly from a heart attack in February 2011, (and Anthony had lost his wife and kids in a car wreck the previous July). Sometimes it seems to me, a black cloud hangs over that family. :-(

 

 

Now, let me get back to some responses, Inkstainedruth, your story sounds just like Anthony. He never liked ill feelings between people; he would always try to touch base with people, even if he just THOUGHT there might had been a problem between them, (unless he thought it was hopeless; which was rare).

 

 

Thank you, Madeline. :-)

 

Parker 51, I think you've summed up Anthony beautifully; he did seem like he was from a different era and it wasn't just his polished shoes and fedora hats, or his manners, he just personified a different time; a different world, a time and a place that has been lost to most of us. How he managed to keep it alive, idk? Perhaps it was his strong faith; he even stuck with the Latin Mass, maybe his strong Sicilian roots, or both?

 

I'm going to try my best to emulate Anthony by responding to as many of you as I can, but there are so many, I think I'll take a break now, but please don't let that stop you. I want to thank you for this outpouring of love for Anthony; it has meant a great deal to me and his family... and I'm sure Anthony is touched by it, too. :-)

 

Again, please accept my apologies for being so absent here, but there have been a lot of demands on my time and this has been a shock to all of us.

 

Oh, yes, before I forget: OCArt and Honeybadgers; those are very sweet sentiments.

 

OCArt, I think Anthony would encourage you to just make whatever donation you're comfortable with to your local food bank or homeless shelter.

 

Honeybadgers, that is a very sweet gesture, but Anthony and his family were/are quite comfortable, so there is no need for a gofundme page for them. Again, I would encourage you to see what you can do for your own community, but with your outlook, you probably already do. :-)

 

 

God bless you all.

 

Sincerely,

 

Linda L.

Edited June 28, 2019 by ParkerDuofold

[Inky-Republic]

I've been away from the website for a few days, so have only caught up with this awful news today.

 

Being fairly new to the FPN website, I'd only exchanged opinions and views with Anthony on a couple of occasions, but he came across as a very kind, thoughtful and sincere person.

 

I am deeply sorry this accident has taken such a such a very good friend away from us all and forward my sincere condolences to Anthony's family and all those close to him.

[pajaro]

Anthony had asked for prayers for his mother, so I said some rosaries for her recovery. I am glad to know she is still with us. Thanks for letting us know about her. It's no big deal, just what we do for each other.

[Driften]

I am sorry to hear of his passing. He seemed like a wonderful person and his posts on this forum will be missed. My condolences to his loved ones.

[FromTheNetherlands]

My condolences to his family and all that are close to him.

Edited June 29, 2019 by GJMekenkamp

[corgicoupe]

I wonder if it would be possible to pin some of his posts so that those not familiar with Anthony's style could begin to understand why so many of the "tribute posts" in this thread mention how the way he posted meant so much to so many on FPN.

[Wahl]

Just read this Linda, sad news....

 

As you can see, we miss him, not many gentlemen like him, in these days !

 

My most sincere condolences, to you and his family.

[K Singh]

So sad to hear about this, and what makes it even sadder is how suddenly he left us and how hard and painful the last moments of his life would have been for him. I can only hope that he is at peace now wherever he is.

 

His thoughts and insights were always respected by me and everyone else in this community. We all will miss him.

 

Also, thank you Linda for sharing this with all of us here. Hope you find the strength and courage to overcome this loss.

[Dankdan63]

I too would like to say thank you to Linda, and thank you to ParkerDuofold/ Anthony.

 

Reading his posts, I always felt like I was reading the words of a really nice guy. That will be missed. Sometimes people transcend the letters on a page and you get a person coming through, and Anthony pulled that off.

 

Pass on my thoughts and condolences to the family and Linda.

 

dan

[kestrel]

I just saw this and am still trying to come to terms with the news. Anthony and I exchanged a few posts and I always had the feeling we could agree or disagree and nothing would change in tone or language. I especially enjoyed his posts over on the chatter forum. Now I understand why he seemed to know so much about music.

 

In his memory the next pen I ink up will be a Duofold.

 

He will be missed.

[Bo Bo Olson]

A moment ago, I was in a slightly older thread, and Anthony commented. That was so sad.....but his cometary is still there, so he's still in our mind.

 

Somewhere at some time, someone said, as long as a passed one is in our thoughts, he was still alive. At least to us.

[Fermata]

A moment ago, I was in a slightly older thread, and Anthony commented. That was so sad.....but his cometary is still there, so he's still in our mind.

 

Somewhere at some time, someone said, as long as a passed one is in our thoughts, he was still alive. At least to us.

 

 

Really must agree, I only have a couple of friends on FPN and to be reminded that a valued friend is gone still hurts, not easy to see his photograph as an avatar.

 

Anthony expressed an interest in a Parker 51, I sent him an Insignia that I thought he might like, he was so appreciative of the gift, I was pleased to know that it had gone to a good home.

 

I have recently heard that the pen was buried with Anthony, I would hope that this means that he thought a lot of the gift.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Parkette

[kiavonne]

I haven't been able to check in with FPN in some time. It is sad to see this news upon logging in, today.

 

May Anthony rest peacefully and his family comforted in knowing his love will always be with them.

[ParkerDuofold]

Pajaro, I'm positive your prayers had a beneficial impact on Anthony's mother's recovery and I'm sure she's grateful to you and all who prayed for her. I'll be sure to show her your post (and all the others) when I see her later today. :-)

 

The family has already said to keep Anthony's phone for one more week to handle all the responses; both here and elsewhere.

 

 

CorgiCoupe, I think that is a marvelous idea and I hope it can be done; perhaps his Most Beautiful Car thread would be a good candidate; he enjoyed that thread a lot.

 

BoBo, that's true; when you come across his old posts and read his comments and see his picture, he'll remain in your hearts and in your community. Parkette, I understand exactly how you feel; your emotions are still raw, but believe me, the day will come when you'll want to see his picture again.

 

Yes, he enjoyed that pen a lot; he referred to it as his Fox51. :-) He enjoyed its aesthetic, it's history, but most of all, he appreciated the source from which it came. :-)

 

 

I also want to thank everyone here for their appreciative words for me; you are all quite welcome, I only wish we could have "met" under better circumstances.

 

Things are stabilizing for me; I've been assigned to Mr. B. and he's not bad... he's no Anthony, but he's not bad. I think I'll be able to muck through the next three years until I retire. Lol.

 

This brings to mind another story about Anthony. It was his practice to get to know everybody who worked for him, so if he wasn't entertaining a client for lunch, he would take out an employee - including the part-time custodians and everyone else in between. Over time, he came to know everyone that worked here; no matter in what capacity. He knew them and they knew him and their problems were his problems. Anthony really helped narrow the gulf between the executive management and the rank and file; it's probably why we never had any strikes or walk-outs since he came aboard. He was great at bridging divides and bringing people together; yet never compromising his own beliefs. I think Kestral hit the nail on the head; he was even more effective when it was face to face, rather than "virtual." Anthony was never truly comfortable with the latter; he preferred the "human touch," so to speak.

 

 

Oh, btw, in regards to his pen and ink collection; they went to a couple of his nieces who had expressed an interest in hand-written correspondence. His tools went to his nephew who is interested in cars and who got Anthony's old Lexus when he bought the new SUV.

 

All of his nieces and nephews have had trusts set up for them to cover college tuition and expenses and to give them a head-start when they begin their adult lives; some personal mementos were bequeathed to various friends and family members and the balance of his estate was sold off and the money donated to various charities. He also made provisions for a few people he knew needed a leg up. I've been asked about his estate via PM, so I decided I'd answer the questions en masse.

 

I will be back. God bless you all. :-)

 

- Linda

[Bibliophage]

Linda - thank you for the update, especially that you're taken care of yourself. It's heartening to know that his pens will go to someone who will at least try them out, even if they don't end up using them regularly.

 

I started my nieces off with Warner Brothers Parker Vectors many years ago. One niece didn't take to it, but the other one definitely did. Now she has an orange journal, and orange pen, and orange ink to go with both (orange is her favourite colour). Yes, I'm the enabler that provided all of them.

 

Be well.

 

BW

[Enkida]

I just wanted to say thank you to Linda for sharing all those great stories with the rest of the FPN community and keeping us informed. I appreciate your effort and hope you'll pass on thanks to Anthony's family for generously giving the rest of us here a chance to celebrate his time on the board with good memories and rather than mere sadness at his passing. That thoughtfulness and generosity is a very fitting obituary for him, in so many ways.

[langere]

Amen.

 

Erick

[Tasmith]

Oh, btw, in regards to his pen and ink collection; they went to a couple of his nieces who had expressed an interest in hand-written correspondence.

 

I have always enjoyed reading Anthony's posts as they were thoughtful, polite and ended on a positive note. As others have stated he was a true gentleman and will be missed.

 

In a recent post he mentioned that he might order Michael Sull's "The Art of Cursive Penmanship, A Personal Handwriting Program for Adults". Not sure if he did or if he did received it from the store. If he did receive the book, may be something his nieces would like to have too.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Tasmith

[max dog]

I've been away from the FPN for a few months and am really saddened to return to the news of Anthony's passing. He was the last member here I communicated with and was a source of inspiration when my mom passed away. My thoughts often was of him when I thought about the FPN community and all the other wonderful people here. He had some tragedy in his life, and I am only comforted by the thought Anthony is with his lovely wife and son now in a brighter and happier place.

 

Will miss you Anthony my friend, rest in peace, and you will always be remembered.

 

Anthony shared this video with us all once here, that he said reminded him of his wife. I thought it would be fitting to include it here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5_EBAzIPJM

 

Deep condolences to Anthony's mom, family, and friends!!!

 

Jung

Edited July 6, 2019 by max dog

[ParkerDuofold]

Bibliophage, you needn't worry. I know the pens are being put to good use. The niece's in question are 15 and 17 years of age and were already using Lamy Safaris; which is why Anthony left them his pens. He wouldn't have done it if he thought they would be left to waste. :-)

 

 

Enkida, thank you very much, but I do regret not being able to respond to all the lovely posts that have been written here as I had hoped. But this whole thing has been quite a shock for all of us. Something none of us were prepared for; even the CEO of our company, (who is normally very stoic), has been found sobbing and at a loss for words on several occasions. So, all of the heartfelt and cogent responses I've read here, (and showed to Anthony's family), are a real credit to this forum. :-)

 

I do want to apologize again, for not being more active here, but I also think I should withdraw myself after today, so that the healing process can begin for all of us.

 

May God bless and keep you all.

 

Sincerely,

 

Linda L.