Anthony M. Starita

Relaxing With a Cigar
Cigars were a necessary accessory for Anthony Starita. He had one in his mouth when he went to beach, when he puttered around his backyard in Westfield, N.J., and when he relaxed on his deck every night after dinner. "He liked the flavor," said his wife, Diane Starita. "He didn't always actually smoke them, but he would just have one in his mouth to sort of chew on."

Mr. Starita, 35, also chewed on coffee straws, mostly when he got nervous about a deal at his job as a government bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. "When he got a little nervous he put the straws in his mouth and he would start wiping his hands with napkins," said Eddie De Castro, Mr. Starita's longtime friend and former trading partner. "Those were his two things."

Last year, Mr. Starita gave up his full- time golf membership at a country club so that he could spend more time with his wife and two children, Kaila, 6, and Jason, 3.

After the terrorist attacks, Mrs. Starita told the children that their father had gone to heaven. Kaila wondered why "does he have to be with God?" Mrs. Starita said. "My 3-year-old wanted to know if we could call Daddy in heaven."


Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 23, 2001.


Anthony Starita, 35, enjoyed trader's life Anthony M. Starita loved being a trader.

He joined off-the-wall bets at Cantor Fitzgerald, where wagering traders would put money on almost anything, even who could gain the most weight.

He had a trader's humor. "He always looked for a joke in everything," said his wife, Diane Starita. "He told things the way they were. Some people were offended by it, some saw the humor."

After 16 years at Cantor Fitzgerald, he knew his colleagues had equally mischievous senses of humor. When the Starita family went on vacation, he would never tell his co-workers where, exactly, they were staying. If his co-workers knew the name of the hotel, "they'd have $200 in room service sent up," Diane Starita said.

Even faced with $200 worth of room service he didn't want, he might have laughed. When he was 5 years old, he got a crew cut. It was his only childhood crew cut, but it was enough. After that, everyone in the neighborhood called him Fuzz. One of his sisters, MaryAnn Jennings, called him Fuzz for the rest of his life.

"He was such a shrug-your-shoulders kind of guy," his sister said. "Nothing bothered him."

Mr. Starita started working at Cantor Fitzgerald part-time in 1987 while he was still a student at Baruch College. After he graduated in 1989, he began working full-time. At the time of his death, he was a limited partner. He had never worked anywhere else.

Cantor Fitzgerald was full of young guys just starting their families, Diane Starita said, and Mr. Starita, 35, was no exception. He adored playing with their children, Kaila, 6 and Jason, 3, at their Westfield home. "Neighbors who don't even know us have been ringing my bell, saying they always saw him outside with the children," said his wife of 10 years.

The last time the whole family was together was Labor Day, when everyone gathered at MaryAnn Jennings' house. Mr. Starita and his father, Walter, stood in the backyard, patiently pitching balls to the younger Starita's children, his eight nieces and nephews and other friends' children.

The Staritas belonged to Colonia Country Club, where Mr. Starita was an all-weather golfer. He also was a recreational skier. The couple stayed close to a half-dozen traders even after most of them left Cantor Fitzgerald.

Last year, around this time, Mr. Starita began looking for another job, too. Instead, the company promoted him to the government agencies desk.

In addition to his wife, his children, his sister and father, Mr. Starita is survived by his mother, Marie of Staten Island; and another sister, Linda Travers of Staten Island.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 6 at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield, at Westfield Avenue and First Street. A reception will follow in the church gymnasium. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Starita Children Trust, in care of Steven Curiale, 346 Orenda Circle, Westfield, N.J. 07090.