Anthony Parisi Obituary

Obituary published on Legacy.com by Legacy Remembers on Oct. 15, 2021.

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October 9, 2021. Former Pittsford School District Principal and Rochester City Councilman Anthony Luke Parisi has passed away after a long, valiant battle with cancer. He was 84. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Molly; son, Christopher (Danita Jo); daughter, Kathleen; grandson, Anthony (Andreea); and sister, Vincenette Maracle; plus numerous nieces, nephews and close friends.
Luke was born in Niagara Falls in January 1937 of Italian immigrants, spending his childhood years there and visiting the family farm. Even at that early age, at the height of World War Two, he could recall parties for cousins headed for Europe, some of whom never returned.
After his retirement, he visited the Normandy beaches and the American Cemetery near Omaha Beach to honor and pay respect to those fallen heroes with tears of gratitude.
Music played an enormous part of Luke's life. He and his best friends from high school would play jazz clarinet in tiny clubs, where no one cared how old they were, only if they could carry a tune. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fredonia and Master's from the University Of Arizona, both in musical performance, before accepting a position as music teacher at Pittsford Junior High School in the mid-'60's. Some local musicians today still trace their roots back to Luke's influence, and the fun they had playing theme songs from TV shows like The Mod Squad.
As he taught music, Luke became interested in school administration, earning an additional degree and assuming leadership roles throughout the Pittsford school system. He eventually became Principal at Thornell Road Elementary school, where they earned the prestigious Excelsior award.
In the early '60s, Luke became more involved in politics at both the local and national level, campaigning for JFK, and later, his brother Bobby. This led to Luke running for and being elected to the Rochester City Council in the '70s, where he championed for civil rights and led the charge for affordable community development and the renovation of the many neighborhoods including Cornhill, among other achievements.
His involvement in the run up to the presidential election in 1976 led to Luke and his wife Molly being invited to attend Jimmy Carter's Inauguration and Ball, where they met the incoming 39th President.
After a very fulfilling career, Luke retired in 2001. He spent the rest of his life spending time with friends and family, taking up some photography and traveling across the planet, from the Caribbean to Italy to Romania, and of course his beloved Cape Cod.
Luke's nature was to help all, and he leaves behind a legacy of caring, guiding, and love. He will be missed by all and forgotten by none.
Special thanks to the staff at Rochester General Hospital 6th Floor Sands wing, and Luke's loving caregivers, the Postwaite family.
Friends may call Wednesday, October 13, 2021, from 4-7PM at the funeral chapel (2305 Monroe Ave.). A Funeral Mass will be held Thursday, October 14, 11:30AM at Blessed Sacrament Church, 534 Oxford Street, Rochester, NY 14607. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Blessed Sacrament Supper Program.

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Anne Muench

October 17, 2021

I owe a great deal of my young life's happiness to Mr. Parisi. Back when I was in middle school, he taught me how to play the drums, and he gave me such encouragement and positive reinforcement that music came to play a large role in my middle school and high school life. I still play those drums, although no longer in a band. Besides teaching me to play, Mr. Parisi brought a lot of fun and happiness to the stage, as we got to play music that was current and not at all old-fashioned. He possessed an intuitive understanding of what kids needed to succeed and in the band setting; he knew that recognizable tunes would engage middle-schoolers, and at lessons (during school hours) he knew how to encourage and teach the myriad students on all sorts of instruments. He always treated me with such kindness that my memories are only fond ones. I am sure that the regular need to discipline goofballs in band led to his desire to get into administration; he saw so many kids at all levels of talent and all levels of academic ability that he must have gotten a very good sense of what needed doing at the level of assistant principal and principal. For me, Mr Parisi was a wonderful mentor and music teacher, and I am deeply sorry to hear of his passing.