Anthony (Tony) DeLuca was a proud Italian-American born in the Bronx, New York on

April 29, 1946. He spent much of his childhood playing stickball & curb ball, and making

friends that he would keep his entire life. Even then, the man he would become was

already taking shape — Tony was known to stand up for kids who were being bullied, a

quiet testament to the care and compassion for the underdog that would define both his

character and his career for decades to come. Always a go-getter with a brain that

captured and remembered everything, he breezed through elementary school (actually

skipping third grade). He continued his education at Fordham Prep and then Fordham

University, where he earned an Air Force ROTC scholarship for his academic and

leadership qualities. It was during this time that he met and fell madly in love with the

love of his life, Mary Alaimo. They married right after his graduation and together they

headed to Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida for his first assignment as a

contract specialist. He later earned his Masters Degree in Public Administration, as well

as numerous post-graduate certifications and honorary degrees.

His dynamic personality, combined with his unwavering sense of integrity, boosted his

career upward through his Air Force years, followed by a career in civil service working

for the Air Force. He had the honor of becoming the youngest person at the time to

achieve the rank of SES (Senior Executive Service), becoming the civilian equivalent of

a two star general by the time he retired in 2001. Throughout his career he gladly

accepted every difficult challenge and was especially passionate about helping the

underdog. He received countless awards for his work with Native Americans, historically

black colleges & universities, and women-owned businesses, and pioneered programs

to enable them to compete with giant corporations for government contracts.

But what made Tony special was his love for his family, including his kids Renée

(married to Jeremiah Thompson), Joey, and Gina (married to Darron Bell), his brother

John (married to Joni), Mary’s two sisters whom they raised as their own: Marcy

(married to Rick Spitznagel) and Gaby (married to Scott Robson), and his nieces and

nephews. But his real joy exploded with the birth of his grandchildren, Enzo Bell, and

Gianna & Sabina Thompson, who knew him as Boom Boom and Nino.

Perhaps those closest to him say it best. His grandchildren remember him as someone

who "moved everyone with his endless love and ability to make people smile and be

happier" — and who, even now, wants all of us "to influence the lives of others we

encounter in positive ways, helping any-and-everyone no matter what." He was

charismatic and loving, firm in his beliefs, and someone who made people have faith.

To them, he was simply "the light in every room" who "made us feel special all the time"

— every characteristic you'd want in a grandparent, and then some.

His children remember a man who showed up — every single time, without question,

without complaint — and taught them to do the same. What threads through every

memory, every story, every life he touched is this: he made you feel like the most

important person in the room. That is a rare and beautiful gift — and it was entirely,

authentically his.

Tony lived life to the fullest — and he made sure everyone around him did too. In his

younger years, he channeled his musical spirit as a drummer in a rock band, keeping

the beat for the soundtrack of the 1960s. Music never left him. It filled every room of his

home, played from morning to night across every genre and era. He sang constantly —

in the car, around the house, anywhere and everywhere — and had a gift for turning

even the most ordinary moment into a song. But music for Tony was never a solo act.

He was the life of every party, the one who got everyone on their feet, led the charge at

karaoke, and made sure nobody was standing on the sidelines when there was fun to

be had. If Tony was in the room, the party had officially started.

In his final year he was president of the local Optimist Club, where he put his

experience and enthusiasm into the needs of foster children, local schools, homeless

veterans and the needy elderly. During his tenure, he brought a renewed energy that

transformed the organization. Under his leadership, meeting attendance soared and

membership grew significantly— a reflection of the spirit and dedication he poured into

everything he believed in.

Tony was a man of great faith and it was not something he kept quietly to himself; it was

woven into the fabric of his entire life. He prayed every day and his faith inspired the

way he treated people, the causes he championed, and the man he chose to be in

every room he entered. In his final years, his faith led him to face illness with a grace

and courage that humbled all who witnessed it, and in doing so, it strengthened

everyone around him. He showed his family and friends not just how to live, but how to

face life's greatest challenges with dignity, trust, and an unshakeable belief in something

greater than himself.

His charisma and infectious spirit brought him a legion of friends through every era of

his life, and his passing will leave a hole in the lives of the many he touched in his 80

years on this earth.