Anthony Panariello Obituary

Anthony Panariello, age 89, of Oakland, New Jersey, passed away on January 24, 2022. He
was the son of Rose and Natallio Panariello and was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1932, where
his love of all things Brooklyn, the beach and baseball began. Spending the majority of his life in
Coney Island, he loved talking about the boardwalk back when there was Steeple Chase and
Luna Park and you could actually ride the parachute jump; when movies cost a nickel for a
double feature and the Brooklyn Dodgers played. He loved a good slice of pizza and spumoni
from L&B, Nathan's french fries and Cuccio's doughnuts. One of Anthony's great passions in life
was food - cooking it and eating it. When you watched him in the kitchen it was like watching a
mad scientist, he was never afraid to experiment with "a little of this, a little of that" but he was
best known for his sauce, lentil soup and clams and spaghetti.
While Anthony fancied himself a chef, he had several different occupations over the course of
his life. He worked for many years as a painter, spinner, and ultimately retired as a motorman
from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of NYC. After he retired, Anthony enjoyed volunteering at
church and spending time outside - going on long walks on the boardwalk and tending to his
garden. He loved going on drives in his Mercedes with his wife and son, running yellow lights
(sometimes red) and having lunch with family and friends, most likely at a local diner. His time
indoors was usually spent screaming at the Met's, doing crosswords or hoarding newspapers
and Readers Digest magazines. Anthony loved a party. He especially loved being the life of it.
He was the first person on the dance floor and the last one to leave it at 3 a.m., always up for
another drink or karaoke song.
The only thing Anthony loved more than all of this was his family. You could see it in the way he
looked at his wife Annette, the love of his life, even after 63 years of marriage. In the way he
took care of her as they got older. You could see it in the way he cared for his son Anthony Jr.
and the way his eyes would light up when he talked about his daughter, Maryann, and her
family. Spending time with them at gatherings, on vacations, or even just spending hours with
them on the phone was his favorite way to pass the time.
Anthony is survived by his loving wife, Annette. He is also survived by his brother John
Panariello, sister MaryAnn Blasie, daughter Maryann Fortin and her husband Ken,
grandchildren Christina Robbins and her husband Jason, Nicole Fortin and Michelle Fortin, his
great grandchildren Toula, Jade, Maxon and Maeven. He was predeceased by his brother David
Panariello and his son Anthony Jr. who we are sure welcomed his father with a "sneak up,
BOO!" and a big hug as he entered the pearly gates.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that any donations are made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN. 38148-0142 www.stjude.org. Or Prader-Willi Syndrome, 8588 Potter Park Dr., Suite 500, Sarasota, FL. www.pwsausa.org. Or Smile Train P.O. Box 96231, Washington DC 20090-6231, www.smiletrain.org.
Please join the family for visitation at Vander Plaat Funeral Home www.vpfh.com 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ. on Sunday, January 30, 2022, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. A Wake service will be 3:00pm on Sunday. Entombment will be on Monday January 31, 2022, at 11:00am at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
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