Obituary of Anthony Cardinale

Anthony Cardinale, 86, passed away on September 20, 2022 due to complications of a broken heart. Only two months earlier, his beloved wife of 63 years, Ida Cardinale, left this earth. They leave behind their two cherished daughters, Anita Burton and Lisa Cardinale, the light of their lives. 

Born in Ribera, Sicily, Italy to his late parents Joseph and Francesca (Zambito) Cardinale. As a young boy, with a restless spirit, Tony knew he needed to work to have and do the things he desired. Dropping out of school he began to work as a tailor and spent his free time playing billiards with his friends and perusing his passion for cars. He raced whenever possible and started a successful career as a chauffeur driving some of Sicily’s elite. Throughout his life he enjoyed sharing these special memories of these adventures as a teen in Italy.

At 21, he moved to America with his family and settled in Brooklyn, NY where he worked in a stainless-steel factory. In 1957, he met his future bride, the former, Ida Berlucchi, at a church dance. They were married on 10/10/1959, and two years later they welcomed their first daughter Anita into the world.  In 1964 they moved to Long Island and purchased their first home, and the following year brought Lisa into the world. Their children were their life. Tony was a hardworking provider. 

Over the years Tony mastered many different skills at a variety of jobs always doing his best to provide for his family. After moving to Long Island, he studied hard and earned the status of a Class A Master Mechanic while working for Chrysler Corporation. In his continuous pursuit of the American Dream, he and his wife, along with his sister and brother-in-law, opened their first Italian restaurant in Malvern, NY. After years in Long Island, the family decided to move to upstate New York where they continued their careers as restauranteurs owning several more Italian restaurants. Around this same time, they purchased their beloved summer home
on Caroga Lake, also known as their happy place. Tony was always eager to learn things and become the best at everything he did. When times were tough and the restaurants closed, Tony learned to drive a tractor trailer and worked as a machinist.

As a “life learner”, he continued expanding his knowledge and trying new things until the end of his life. He was enthralled and amazed by today’s technology. Wanting to learn how to do everything on his smart phone and asking EVERYONE to teach him. Tony always wanted to know how things worked. Later in life, he worked for Conifer Park in Glenville as a chef. He retired from there at 65. If he wasn’t working at a job, he would be working around the house always fixing things, especially at their lake house assisting with many renovations. Tony never threw anything away; he always fixed it! He took great pride in his things and would meticulously maintain everything he owned. At 86 years old, he would still clean and polish his car, CONSTANTLY!

Throughout his life, he enjoyed many hobbies including riding motorcycles, boating, shooting, waterskiing, painting landscapes and traveling. He was also a lover of animals, especially birds. Over the years he was a proud owner of several sports cars. If he was going out to dinner, the restaurant had to have pasta on the menu. It wasn’t a real dinner to Tony if there was no pasta or bread. Before all else, his family was the most important thing to him. He will forever be remembered as a loving father, who did everything for those he loved. 

In addition to his daughters, Anthony is survived by his sister, Clotilda (Frank) DiDonna, as well as many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to his loving wife, he was predeceased by his older brother, Vincenzo Cardinale. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, September 26th at the Church of Immaculate Conception at 11 AM located at 400 Saratoga Rd., Glenville, NY 12302. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, 1270 Belmont Ave. Schenectady, NY 12308; American Cancer Society, One Penny Lane, Albany NY 12110; North Country Wild Care, northcountrywildcare.org.