Anthony Dante DeVita

"A great honor I most probably would not have had a chance to go to college"
This was the seminal event in Tony's life journey – on graduation from Port Richmond High School, Staten Island he went to Wagner College on a baseball scholarship – majoring in Chemistry. His dream of course was to become a major league pitcher (lefthanded-always proud to be a lefty). The coach sent him in to pitch without a proper warm up and he injured his shoulder – end of dream but Tony was not deterred.
Tony chose an art class as an elective, so did his future wife who was a physics major – kismet there. He changed his Major to Art and Graduated in 1959 with a degree in Fine Arts and promptly enlisted in the Marine Corps. Serving from 1959 to 1965. His dream was to become a pilot-but his enlistment physical found an inner ear problem-end of dream. Tony moved on.
Tony received his license as Teacher of Fine Arts in Day High Schools in 1963 and started teaching art classes at Port Richmond High School, Staten Island, NY; a position he held for 30 years. While teaching he earned a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. Tony received teaching awards by the best testimony to his teaching excellence was the high regard of his colleagues and the respect of his students.
Tony married his college art room find, they began a family, bought a 13 room Victorian house and created art works to fill it. Cassie, Christopher, and Gabrielle added to the art collection as they grew up inspired by his creative force.
It would take many pages to document Tony's achievements and the genius of his creative energy. He was a co-founder of The Federation of Staten Island Federation of Artist and Craftsman-a group of artists that exhibited their works on Staten Island, Manhattan, and Brooklyn, and published an art magazine. He built things-furniture and gazebos were his forte. He contributed his time and artistic talents to the dedicated people working to save Sailors Snug Harbor on Staten Island from being demolished and replaced with unremarkable housing. All of you who knew Tony will never forget his FOLD UP-FOLD DOWN Christmas cards-40 years of 3D Christmas Greetings.
Tony, his wife and two dogs retired to upstate New York in 1995. They rented a furnished A-frame house in Milford, NY, storing their belongings while a new house was being built in Pittsfield to hold their art collection-a place with height and light and white walls. Not one to sit idle, Tony started to write a mystery story entitled The Pointy House Murders, published in 2011; however, most of his time was spent commuting to the building site watching nothing happening (he was fond of say "the Empire State Building was finished in less time than it is taking to build our house") and finally moving into an unfinished house in December 1996-you guessed it, during a snow fall. Tony spent many years working on the now-existent promised landscaping, misaligned doors, unfinished interior, etc., yet he still managed to get some artwork done. He was indefatigable.
Tony was so full of life, of ideas and artistic vision-he will be missed-we will remember the spark of Tony's creative power, how it lighted our world.
Tony's family has entrusted his care to Edd Stanimer of the Johnston & Stanimer Funeral Home in Morris. Online condolences may be shared at www.johnstonfh.com