Anthony J Vola

1914 - 2017

Anthony (Tony) J. Vola, 103, of Windsor, husband for 71 years of the late Julia (Cymerys) Vola, passed away peacefully at home on December 29, 2017. He was born November 8, 1914 in Simsbury, son of the late John and Annie Vola. He graduated from Simsbury High School in 1932, where he was an outstanding athlete, breaking records in both basketball and baseball. He continued playing in adult leagues, but it was as a baseball/softball umpire that he found his true calling, continuing to be in demand into his late eighties. He moved to Windsor upon his marriage in 1944 and spent the rest of his life there. He was a supervisor first at the Underwood Typewriter Company in Hartford and then at Waring Blender in New Hartford, where he ended his working career at age 65. He was a member of the VFW, the American Legion, the 450th Bombardment Group (the "Cottontaills"), AARP and the Golden Fellowship. Tony was a true member of the so-called "Greatest Generation." He served in WWII from 1942-1945 in the Army Air Corps as a Radio Operator/Aerial Gunner, flying 50 missions in a B24 and earning several medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. His military service defined him and set the standard for how he lived the rest of his life: Do your job without complaint, be on time, eat what is put in front of you, family first. Tony's life was a full one. In addition to over 40 years of umpiring, he was a consummate fisherman, who caught his final trout limit at age 102. He spent summers for over 50 years at the family cottage in Old Saybrook, where he and his son, Charlie, maintained lobster pots. He was an avid card player, always ready for a game of setback, pinochle or cribbage, and when there was no Yankees or Giants or UConn game to listen to, he could be found with a crossword puzzle. Tony loved to dance, and he and Julie, who met on the dance floor, continued to delight onlookers well into old age. He also enjoyed traveling with Julie and his brother-in-law Joe, and his instamatic camera was always at the ready. He was a devout Roman Catholic and communicant of St. Gabriel Church in Windsor, and he attended regular Mass up until a week before he died. Tony loved his family, and he will be missed by his son Charlie and his wife Lodia of Windsor, his beloved grandson Christopher of New York City, his brother-in-law Anthony (Joe) Cymerys of Windsor, who took care of him at home until the end, his sister-in-law, Therese Cymerys of San Francisco and his nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Julie, and his siblings, Nellie, John and Ann. His family will receive friends on Sunday, January 7, from 3-5 PM at Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Avenue, Windsor. Family and friends may gather Monday, January 8 at 9 AM at The Carmon Windsor Funeral Home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am at St. Damien of Molokai Parish at St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad Street, Windsor. Burial with military honors will be in St. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Gabriel Remembrance Fund, St. Gabriel Church and Rectory, 379 Broad Street, Windsor, CT 06095 or to ImmaCare, PO Box 260669, Hartford, CT 06126. For directions or condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com