Anthony J. Bancalari 1937-2020

Anthony John Bancalari passed away on July 30, 2020 at the age of 83. He will be greatly missed by those closest to him. He had a big warm heart that showed through his sometimes gruff exterior. He was quick witted and never short on opinions or thoughts. Tony (as he liked to be called) was born in 1937 in the Bronx, NY; son to the late Louis Bancalari and Rose (Mandile) Bancalari. He resided with his wife Rosemary in Hanover, CT. Tony loved his family, friends, good food and was a master woodcarver. He was a true jack of all trades. He built his first house with his dad in the Bronx. He served his country in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and demolitions expert stationed in Korea. Throughout his life, his career accomplishments included working as a sound technician, projectionist and manager for various movie theater chains throughout CT an NY. Tony and his wife Rosemary owned and operated a paper box factory for many years. Tony retired from Faria Corporation in 1992 where he worked servicing equipment and building support systems. Throughout his retirement, Tony loved spending time with his family, friends and his beloved grandchildren. Tony's hobbies included cooking, carving and competitive shooting. He was known by all for his most amazing homemade Christmas cookies! During his life, Tony was a member of both the Mystic Woodcarvers club and the Sprague Rod and Gun club and he was also a certified NRA instructor. He loved teaching carving to anyone who wanted to learn the craft and frequently gifted his beautiful carvings to friends, family and complete strangers as well.

Tony is survived by his beloved wife Rosemary; his son Lou Bancalari and his wife Eileen; his daughter Andrea Thompson and her husband Tim; his grandchildren, Kellie Bancalari, Lauren Bancalari; Zachary Thompson, Nolan Thompson, Nicholas Thompson and his wife Olivia Thompson; his sister Kathleen Martone and her husband Tom Martone; his sister-in-law Liz Rondina, brother-in-law Vic Rondina, and his sister-in-law Pat Bush as well as many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother-in-law William Bush.

The family will not hold any formal services at this time and plans to organize a celebration of life gathering at a later date for close family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations to be made in Tony’s honor to the Wounded Warriors Project or any other organization supporting the lives of veterans.