Alexander Anthony Tarantino

Rochester-Alexander Anthony Tarantino passed away on December 30, 2023. Born November 13, 1948 and raised in Rochester, New York, Alex was the son of Raffielle and Alexander Tarantino. He was predeceased by his sisters, Beatrice, Carm, Bert, Lucy, and brother Joe. He is survived by his wife, Christine (Somerfeldt) Tarantino; sons, Adam Tarantino and Michael Tarantino (Marie Clarcq); grandchild, Cecelia; sister, Gloria, and many nieces and nephews.

Alex and Christine were married on October 7, 1978 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Dunkirk, NY and celebrated over 45 years of marriage.

A self-made man from humble beginnings, Alex provided and elevated his family by an entire economic class through 40 years of selfless sacrifice and industriousness at Xerox-merited with multiple promotions, and ultimately rising to the rank of Final Test Engineer, Alex garnered a coveted reputation for problem-solving derailed projects which sent him to locations around the world to save the day.

Similar to his favorite musical artist, Bob Dylan, Alex could be viewed as enigmatic and elusive, however, those who were closest to him knew of his endearing quirkiness, dry humor, quick wit, and ardent advocacy for equality for all. In his own words, "I did the best I could with what I was given and along the way made some people smile. That's all anyone can ask for! We are all part of the Universe. Life and death doesn't get any more profound and meaningful than the Cosmos! Even the mighty stars in the sky are born and die."

Alex fought an understated, heartfelt, and defiant 17-month battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer, beating the abysmal odds of surviving past 12 months, allowing him to experience the development of his newborn grandchild into a precocious toddler. Upon his final prognosis, he maintained his resolve with dignity and acceptance-while his cancer defeated him physically, it was unsuccessful in breaking his constitutional essence.

In his final days, Alex shared that the meaning of life is life itself. In line with that sentiment and as an expression of sympathy, the family asks all eligible readers of this obituary to donate a unit of blood and/or support Webster Comfort Care Home-https://www.webstercomfortcare.org/donations.php.