Anthony L. Macari

Tony’s resilience was matched only by his fearless approach to life’s challenges. His common-sense intelligence guided him through every endeavor with confidence, while inspiring those fortunate enough to know him. Whether telling Dad jokes at the dinner table or cheering on loved ones from the sidelines of life’s milestones, Tony lived fully—with infectious joy that left an indelible mark on all who crossed paths with him.

Tony’s legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched—his family most profoundly—and through the enduring memories he created during an extraordinary journey filled with love and laughter. May those who knew him find comfort in celebrating the remarkable life he lived so fully.

So sorry for your loss. May Tony rest in eternal peace and forever be in your hearts.

Anthony &Leslie
I am truely sorry for your loss . Your dad was always a great guy to me and my family. We always enjoyed when he would come in to the Cavalier in Jackson Heights and enjoyed his hospitality at Anthony’s restaurant. He will be missed ❤️

How do you say goodbye to your hero?
How do say goodbye to a man who made you smile and laugh every time he was near, a man who celebrated life so fully, who loved so deeply and who led so wisely.
How do say goodbye to a man who always was there to support you and your children at every graduation, or game, or concert or life event no matter how big or small.
Who comforted you when you were down, guided you when you were lost, shared his wisdom when you needed clarity and gave you support when you were struggling.
How do you say goodbye to a man you watched battle with grace and charm every day. A man who stayed cool, and calm and steady as a rock through every storm. A man who refused to quit when he was down, and who refused to surrender, battling for decades when his heart barely pumped blood through his veins.
How do say goodbye to the greatest man you ever knew? The answer is, imperfectly and not completely ever.
You realize, he never truly said goodbye to his heroes, by embracing the essence of who they were and living each day as they showed him. He lived with the fearlessness of his grandfather Cesido, who left the mountains of Settefrati, Italy in 1895 to set sail for America, in hopes of giving his family a shot at the American Dream, and he lived with the resilience of his father Lou, who served in the Navy and worked multiple jobs just to put food on the table for his family, and he learned how to love your family unconditionally with all your heart each and every day, as his Mother, Mary did, and he lived his life with grace and kindness, like his Sister Millie, and he led with incredible wisdom and insight like his brother Joe. And from all of them, he took a joy of life, that Macari sense of humor and a deep devotion to family, especially the future generations.
So, like him, we truly will never fully say goodbye. Rather, we will try every day to be more like the man he was. We will surround ourselves with the family and friends he so profoundly touched and influenced. We see him when our kids say the corny dad joke before we do, or when you share a drink and a meal to celebrate life with those you love. You see it in the unconditional love, support and kindness of my Mother, who he loved so dearly, through 67 years of marriage, a love that was imperfect, but relentless and came to a place where they were inseparable, and Mom, you will see him in us as we surround you with the love and support he taught us how to give.
You see him in the success of me and my sisters, first as parents and also as professionals a Lawyer, a Teacher and an Architect, and you especially see it in the accomplishments of his grandchildren as they graduate from the finest universities and embark on professional careers as Lawyers(Danielle and AJ), an MBA (Billie), a Microbiologist (Dom), a Teacher (Sky) and a future ambassador (Bri) and look out world for that next generation, when Millie, Calvin and the future great-grandchildren to come, make their marks, I have no doubt they will go on to accomplish amazing things that Cesidio Macari could never even fathom on the day he boarded that ship on his way to America 130 years ago. And all of us know without my Pop’s wisdom, love, support and guidance, we wouldn’t be the happy, successful people we have become. You hear him in our laughter, you see him in our smiles, well maybe more in that MACARI smirk we all have, and you feel him with our love for each other. You really really see it in our humor, when struggling to find one term that defines all of us, I reached out to Lisa and Sharon, they immediately replied, how about “WISE ASS” which of course, we also all got from him.
His final message to me, was one for all of us but especially for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Don’t try to be perfect. Make mistakes. It’s the ONLY way to learn, but NEVER SURRENDER.”
We don’t have to be perfect to honor him and keep him with us in our hearts. We just have to live each day with joy and fearlessness, learning from our mistakes and never surrendering.
You never have to say goodbye when you still love and surround yourself with the ones he loved so profoundly and influenced so deeply, because his spirit lives on in all of us. I love you Pop and I promise to live and love everyone as you did, not perfectly, but deeply and relentlessly. I love you all.❤️