Anthony Ferrante

Anthony Ferrante made his last transmission on November 4, 2023. A life-long public servant, Tony dedicated his life to improving the lives of others through quick-witted humor and immense contributions to aviation safety worldwide. On March 23, 1958, Tony was born to Leo Ferrante, Jr., and Joanne Ferrante (Morse) in Lawrence, MA. When Tony was seven, his parents survived a cross-country road trip with him and his 6 siblings, on their way to settling down in West Hills, CA. From an early age, Tony had strong opinions on how things ought to be, which led him to enlist in the United States Air Force, where he became an air traffic controller. His service to our country continued after his honorable discharge six years later, when he joined the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an air traffic controller in Pittsburgh, PA. Along the way he met his wife Kyle at a softball game, who promptly convinced him that Florida sounded like a much warmer place to start a family. As a father, Tony passed his sense of mischief to his son Justin, which often backfired on him when Florida's wildlife was brought into the home. After the appearance of one too many lizards (or more accurately, one too many hurricanes), the family moved to Northern Virginia, where Tony traded in his headset for a desk at the FAA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Although he had a desk, Tony was always on the move, watching out for his staff, giving back to his community, rebuilding a car, converting his home into a construction site, and executing pioneering work in Safety Management Systems. He eventually joined the Senior Executive Service and became Executive Director of the FAA's Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, a position he held from 2006 until his retirement from federal service in 2017. At this point, with the construction site turned mostly back into a home, he had more time to spend as a grandfather, his favorite job of all. Tony is survived by his wife Kyle, son Justin (and wife Lisa Glikbarg), and his grandchildren Kyle, Caitlyn, Riley, and Kayleigh. His mother Joanne, siblings Cynthia, Michael, Patricia, James, and the many nieces and nephews you'd expect from a nice Italian family are left with the memories of him telling the same joke for years, and always laughing like it was the first time he heard it. Tony is pre-deceased by his brother Peter and sister Lisa. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to United Hatzalah. One of Tony's favorite charities, United Hatzalah is an Israeli humanitarian organization that unifies Tony's love for all things fast with his appreciation for EMTs. Services will be held at the Cunningham Turch funeral home in Alexandria, VA on Thursday, November 9 at 11 am. He will be buried with military honors at the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico at 1230 pm on the same day.

Rest easy, dad. We'll miss you.