Anthony F. Provenzano Sr.

Anthony F. Provenzano Sr., of Plymouth, passed away peacefully after a long illness on October 3, 2019, at the age of 87 at the Plymouth Laurelwood Assisted Living. He is survived by his wife of nearly sixty-five years, Edythe (Volpe) Provenzano, his four sons: Salvatore Provenzano and his wife, Elaine, of Tuckahoe, New York; Anthony F. Provenzano Jr. and his wife, Diane, of Plymouth; Joseph Provenzano and his wife, Ann, of Patterson, New York; and Rev. Thomas M. Provenzano, SDB, of Washington, DC; and a sister, Angela Quadrozzi, of Saratoga Springs, New York. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: John, Sarah, and Erin; Marie Louise (of Plymouth), Catherine, and Elizabeth Farrell (of Marshfield); and Marie Rose (formerly of Plymouth) and Laura Pineau; and three great-granddaughters. Anthony was born in May 1932 in the Bronx, New York to Maria Nicolazzi, a native of Manhattans East Side, and Salvatore Provenzano, an immigrant from southern Italy. The couple had lost an infant son within the past year, also named Anthony, during a visit to Salvatores native Calabria. Sonny, as he was known to friends and family, grew up in southern Westchester County, New York, and graduated from Tuckahoe (New York) High School, where notwithstanding modest stature he gained notoriety as receiver on the varsity football squad. After graduation, Sonny was drafted and served honorably and cheerfully with the United States Armys First Cavalry Division in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, during the Korean conflict. Upon military discharge, Sonny joined his fathers business, a storefront retail produce market incongruously named The Farm, despite its semi urban location in the Village of Bronxville, New York. He wasted little time in marrying his high school cheerleader sweetheart, Edythe Volpe, in December 1954. For the next forty years he concentrated on raising his four boys, all of whom had a chance to work at the family store, and successfully operating the business. In 1993, Sonny and Edythe moved to Plymouth, where he became active with the Lions Club and volunteered as a Meals on Wheels driver. He worked part time at Filenes Department Store in Kingston and seasonally at Tims Bait Shop in Manomet. During his years in Plymouth, Sonny was a faithful communicant of St. Peters Roman Catholic Church. He was serious about his work and was passionately devoted to his wife and family, and enjoyed giving possibly helpful advice to young people. He was a lifelong Republican and an avid amateur follower of the financial markets. He dabbled with fishing and successfully avoided most yard work beyond puttering with mixed success in his small garden. He was always quick to crack a joke, but never in a mean spirited way. You would have liked him. Local arrangements were with Bartlett Funeral Home, and services were provided in New York by Westchester Funeral Home in Eastchester. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at the Church of the Assumption in Tuckahoe by Rev. Thomas Provenzano, assisted by priests of the Assumption Church and many of Father Toms fellow Salesians. Interment was at Holy Mount Cemetery in Eastchester. A memorial Mass will be offered by Father Tom at Saint Bonaventure Church in Manomet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 4. 2020, followed by a brief reception in the Church Hall. Memorial donations may be made to Salesian High School of New Rochelle, New York and the Cranberry Hospice of Beth Israel Hospital of Plymouth, who cared for Sonny so well in his final months.