Anthony Joseph DiMartino, Jr.

Anthony “Tony” Joseph DiMartino, Jr. aged 84, a 46 year-resident of Williamstown, New Jersey who recently moved to Brandon, Mississippi, died peacefully on July 31, 2023.  Born Anthony William DiMartino to Anthony Joseph and Helen DeCicco DiMartino in West Philadelphia on March 30, 1939, upon enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1958 DiMartino officially changed his name to Anthony Joseph, out of respect and honor for his father.  

            The third child and only male of his siblings, he is predeceased by his parents and older sisters Grace DiMartino Capriotti, and Carmelita “Lita” DiMartino Ranalli, his first-born daughter Joanne “Jodi” Marie DiMartino Janiver, one grandchild, and two great-grandchildren, taken too soon.

            Public service was a defining value for Tony DiMartino; along with his time in the United States Marine Corps he served as a police officer in Darby Township, Pennsylvania in the 1970s, and later spent 10 years as a volunteer EMT for the Williamstown Ambulance Association in New Jersey.  Several of his sons and grandsons have also followed in his footsteps through public service careers in fire and police positions and volunteer work, with his oldest son a United States Air Force veteran, his youngest son a court bailiff, and a grandson who also proudly served as a United States Marine.  Tony DiMartino retired from the Johnson Matthey Chemical Corporation in the mid-1990s to travel and enjoy time with family and friends.

            A generous father and attentive grandfather, Tony was an avid history buff, with a particular interest in learning about World War II; his interest in history has passed down through two generations, with one daughter serving as site superintendent of a National Historic Landmark in Connecticut and a grandson recently returned from Normandy, France, on a D-Day study scholarship through The National World War II Museum, Tony’s favorite museum to visit. 

            Tony DiMartino was a member of the Tristate Country Line Dance Association in New Jersey for over 20 years, bringing laughter and humor to all who knew him, as he was always ready with a good joke or wholesome prank.  He was an affectionate husband who danced joyfully each week with his beloved wife Joan and supported her in her line-dance instruction, offered organizational assistance, and together they made long-term close friendships, traveling annually to Wildwood, NJ for dance gatherings. Tony DiMartino loved the camaraderie of organized social groups, having marched as a Philadelphia Mummer in the Greater Overbrook String Band in the 1960s.  His legacy of organized cultural pursuits continues as one of his granddaughters participates in a high school dance troupe and elite cheer squad, another makes youthful visual art, and two grandsons are noted local musicians.

            “If you leave this table hungry, it’s your own fault,” was one of Tony DiMartino’s favorite sayings, as he was an excellent cook and loved to entertain.  Family and friends will always remember large summer cookouts, a home full of guests at holiday dinners, potted basil plants on the porch, and his weekday dinner “house specialty:” spaghetti and clam sauce. To wit: heat olive oil, throw in some chopped garlic, fresh parsley, add the juice from two cans of clams; let simmer while boiling the pasta.  Add the drained canned clams to the juice mixture, simmer for five minutes more, then serve over spaghetti with crusty Italian bread and toast Tony’s memory with his favorite wine, Chianti.  

            He is survived by his youngest sister Helene DiMartino Madariaga and many nieces and nephews, his loving and much-loved wife Joan Freimuth DiMartino, and five children: Anthony Joseph DiMartino III (m. Shari DiMartino), Joseph Anthony DiMartino, Dawn Andrea DiMartino, Joan Marie DiMartino (m. Michael Hart), and Mark Anthony DiMartino (m. Sarah DiMartino), 13 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren, many of whom have been inspired by the well-lived, public service-dedicated life their cherished father and Poppy led.

            Anthony Joseph DiMartino, Jr. will be laid to rest Thursday, August 10, 2023 in the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Newton, Mississippi with full military honors, surrounded only by close friends and family.

            In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memoriam of Anthony “Tony” DiMartino to either the Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a veteran support organization, at 825 College Blvd. Suite 102 - PMB 609 Oceanside, CA 92057 https://thefund.org/ or The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130 https://www.nationalww2museum.org/.