Anthony M. "Tony" D'Imperio

Anthony M. D'Imperio

May 25, 1944 – September 6, 2025

Son. Italian immigrant. First-generation college graduate. Vietnam veteran. High school Spanish teacher. Restaurateur. Husband, father, grandfather. Retiree. Gardener. Avid watcher of The West Wing, listener of Il Volo, and raiser of baby squirrels.

Tony D'Imperio passed away on Saturday at the age of 81.

Tony is survived by his wife Cindy, children Cristina (Michael) and Joe (Beth), mother of his children Carol, grandchildren Anthony and Gianna, sisters Carmela (Leonardo) Tomasso and Maria (Claudio) Armasano, and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents Rosa and Giuseppe, sister Assunta (Roberto) Luciani, and brother Pasquale (Kathy) D'Imperio.

Tony grew up in Montagano, a small village in Italy. He had fond childhood memories of searching for wild fig and cherry trees in the surrounding hillsides; of dipping polenta bread into a single egg shared between his siblings before school; of threshing wheat in the fields; and of the rare Christmases when he earned an orange from La Befana instead of coal.

In 1954 at the age of 10, Tony immigrated to Clairton with his family. He graduated from high school as well as California University, taught Spanish at Westinghouse High School, managed The Pub at the Monroeville Mall, and became the general manager of The Racquet Club in its heyday. In 1977, Tony opened D'Imperio's Restaurant at the top of the Jonnet Building in Monroeville.

Tony became known in the Pittsburgh area as the consummate host, welcoming customers to D'Imperio's Restaurant for 37 years. People came for the food, the tableside cooking, the ambiance, and the service. But they also always came to see Tony.

For those of us who were his employees, we remember his meticulous attention to detail, the pre-service meetings and inspections, and his uncanny ability to materialize out of nowhere.

Tony also served as a volunteer in the Vietnam War and received the Army Commendation Medal. The letter attached to the medal mentions Tony having "astutely surmounted extremely adverse conditions to obtain consistently superior results," as well as words like "diligence," "determination," "initiative," and "perseverance." The letter further notes he "selflessly worked long and arduous hours." These words, along with generous, characterize much of who Tony was and how he lived.

In the years after Tony closed the restaurant, he took time to finally catch up on pop culture. Approximately 20 years after its original release date, Tony discovered The West Wing and loved it. He began to read for pleasure, played Wordle, and planted a garden. He also frequently yelled out of windows with a bullhorn at deer who attempted to decimate that same garden (and who, frustratingly for Tony, were never fazed by the bullhorn). At the same time, he raised baby squirrels whose mother had abandoned them, first bottle-feeding them by hand and then graduating them to nut medleys and fruit compote.

Importantly, he loved his wife and family and was constantly entertained by and enamored with his grandchildren. First, he taught them to read. Then he taught them how to make tiramis'. Throughout his life, he never stopped cooking or experimenting with food.

Tony, this was unexpected – most of us thought you ageless and immortal – and we are heartbroken. Life will be considerably blander without you in it. But we promise you that we will dim the dining room lights at dusk, answer the phone on the first ring, and be prepared to move any and all furniture at a moment's notice.

Ciao, and grazie mille.

Family and friends are welcome on Friday, September 12, from Noon to 8pm to celebrate Tony's life at the Alfieri Funeral Home, Inc., 201 Marguerite Ave, Wilmerding, Pa 15148, 412-824-4332. Tony will be laid to rest privately. Please visit us at www.alfierifuneralhome.com for online condolences.