Anthony M. “Tony” Brizzolara, 87, of Barnegat, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at his home on December 6, 2024. Born on May 7, 1937, to immigrant parents Agostino and Rosa Brizzolara in Teaneck, New Jersey, he was the youngest of four and grew up in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. He graduated from Ridgefield Park High School in 1955, which was where he met his wife, Dorothy Nani.

Tony and Dottie were wed in 1957, at St. Joseph’s Church in Bogota, New Jersey, and they raised three children, Anthony Jr., Rosemarie and Michael (Lynn), in a home filled with love, laughter and lots of yelling in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Tony will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather to his four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Born during the Great Depression, Tony early on learned the value of hard work as he would often be called upon to help his father with his masonry business, mixing mortar, moving cinder block and bricks, even driving a truck well before he was of legal age! This experience would inform his own work life, enabling Tony to rise from a laborer in the elevator construction business to a white-collar position running all facets of the business for Westinghouse Elevator Co., then Fujitec America.

Tony’s commitment to his family extended beyond providing; he was actively involved in their lives, whether coaching Little League or exemplifying the values of hard work and perseverance. Dottie was his partner in every sense, as they supported each other through life’s inevitable ups and downs and provided a wonderful example to their children.

Tony was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Helen and Mary and his brother Joseph. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews, his sisters-in-law Antoinette and Lorraine, and dear friends. His memory will live on in the hearts of his loved ones and the many people whose lives he touched whether by example or deed.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers a donation be made in Tony’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a charity Tony long supported.