Anthony V. Roina

Anthony V. Roina, 89, passed away on September 17th after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Tony, as he liked to be called, amplified kindness, cheerfulness, and gratitude throughout his life, and during his illness, he never lost that spirit.

Tony is survived by his wife Phyllis, his children Tony (Laurie), Robert (Lorena), James (deceased), and Kathleen, his grandson Michael (Virginia), and his great-grandson Sawyer.

Tony was born on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, NY. He often spoke of his childhood and what it was like growing up there with his four brothers and two sisters, whether they were playing stick ball, sleeping on the fire escape, or jumping the subway turnstiles to go to Coney Island. His ties to that neighborhood remained with him. It was there that his work with the church began, serving as an altar boy in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He enrolled in Cathedral College, then St. Joseph’s Seminary, where he graduated in hopes of becoming a priest. It was at a wedding in Pennsylvania where he met Phyllis, whose sister was marrying his best friend, Sal. They fell in love and were married for over 63 years. Sal and Tony remained the best of friends.

Tony always wanted to teach classic languages, but with jobs few and far between, he took a position with The Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and rose through the ranks, retiring after 45 years as the first layman to serve as Managing Director in The Trustees’ history.

Tony loved the opera, classical music, history, art, reading, and traveling. He was a NY Giant’s fan, loved the fall, and especially in his later years, enjoyed spending time in nature and feeding the birds.

In an article in Catholic NY upon his retirement, he talked about his mom Anna, saying “She was an extremely kind and caring person, and that’s how I treated people, and it works, it really works”.

His warm and kind-hearted nature will be missed by his family, friends, and former colleagues.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org/.

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