In Memoriam: Anthony “Tony” Antonino, CRNA (1974-2023)

Anthony “Tony” Antonino, CRNA, passed away April 26, 2023. The following obituary originally appeared on Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors’ website:

He is Anthony and Tony. He is husband, son, brother, and dad. He is also best friend, confidante, mentor, trusted co-worker, and nurse. At his best, he is a hero. He is also a north star. He brings joy, an incredible amount of laughter, and now, because he is much-loved, many tears.

Tony is a teacher, in his work and to his family. He had a patience with nursing, with his colleagues, with students, and especially with those in his care. However, he exhibited none of this kind of tolerance while he was on the sidelines, watching his boys play sports. Quite the opposite, he was silent, but endlessly frustrated and constantly taking notes for improvement, determined to always guide his children correctly and instruct them properly. Above all, he wanted the very best for those closest to him and now, both Tony Jr. and Dylan thank him for his constant direction, his unwavering support, and his love, with which they have become outstanding young men. Tony is their hero and they are proud to be his boys.

Tony’s pride is also a source of inspiration. His diligent nature, as well as his determination and perseverance allowed him to achieve the highest levels of success in his educational and nursing career. He was a provider in the truest sense, and this accomplishment, his two bachelor’s degrees and his master’s degree, as well as the ability to give his family a gorgeous new home, gift his son a really cool car, and take his loved ones on vacations to Miami and Mexico, where they could experience the greater world, was a triumph for him. His greatest desire was that his children live a far better life with less difficulty and fewer obstacles than he had.

Though he was often reserved and private, Tony harbored a generous, compassionate, and deeply sensitive heart. He was a steadfast, meticulous nurse, and he often agonized over his patients, internalizing his cases. People, no matter who they were, or what their condition, were of the greatest importance to him and he honored that bond in his service, time and time again. Daily, his work was integral to a team of people responsible for not just good health, but for life itself, and Tony lived with the emotion that comes with such responsibility. At times, the burden was difficult, but he never doubted his call to nursing, a labor of love, of great care, and even greater respect. Tony was the nurse that everybody wanted, and also, needed.

He was also the husband that his wife, Alexi, wanted and needed. Immediately upon meeting, they finished each other’s sentences and shared the same thought at the exact same time. They habitually joked and laughed, and created a language which only they two could speak. Then, they decided that they were inseparable. Before they had even married, they knew that they were soulmates. Their deep bond formed a home, no matter where they resided, and also gave them their two boys, who are the center of their world.

To say that Tony is missed is wrong. He is necessary. He is grieved. He is wished for. There is yearning. There is overwhelming sadness. There is longing. But in all of this, there is love, hope, joy, a smile or two, some joke remembered, and then, some laughter. There are the photographs, the video, and the memories, but most essential, more than anything else, are the stories. Talk about him, talk to him, and keep him present so that his beloved mother Lourdes, TJ, Dylan, and Alexi, the suns around which Tony constructed his life, the ones he loved the most, can move forward together, with him, always.

Memorial donations may be directed to Royal Oak Lacrosse Boosters, the ROHS lacrosse team.