Anthony Phillip "Tony" Sousa

Anthony "Tony" Phillip Sousa, 88, died December 16, 2025, at the MDI Hospital, Bar Harbor with his family by his side.

Tony was born in Boston on May 8, 1937. He grew up in a small town, West Catasauqua, Pennsylvania and attended Whitehall High School. While at Whitehall he played baseball and softball, sang in the concert choir and accompanied the Boy's Octet on the piano. From the age of six to twenty-two, Tony studied classical piano with Ralf Kemmerer and performed at the Hamilton Music Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At the age of 13, he played piano in polka and dance bands. In his senior year, he won the Eastern Pennsylvania Piano Competition. He was editor of the yearbook and a member of the National Honor Society.

Tony graduated from Lehigh University with a BSCE degree and later did graduate work in structures at Newark College of Engineering. While at Lehigh, he was president of his fraternity, Alpha Chi Rho, and a member of the Civil Engineering Honor Society, Chi Epsilon. He entered the Lehigh ROTC program and graduated as a Second Lieutenant.

After graduating from Lehigh, Tony joined the California Bridge Department in Sacramento. During that time, he completed his active military requirements at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Ord, Monterey, California. He resigned his commission after nine years with the rank of Captain.

At age 25, Tony passed the Professional Engineer's Test to become a Licensed Engineer. He was assigned to a bridge construction project in Tehachapi. In 1963, he left California to join the Consulting Engineering Firm of the O.J. Porter Company in Newark, New Jersey. During those years he married Barbara Wescott Sousa, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Tracy, both born in the Stephenville area of New Jersey.

In 1989, on a visit to Maine, he renewed his relationship with Joanne, and they married at Church of Our Father, Hulls Cove in 1991. He purchased a structural engineering company and he and Joanne ran that business until Tony retired in 2014. During those years he became very active at Church of Our Father where he played the piano for 30 years and was Co-Chairman of the famous Down East Church Fair. Tony played for services at Birch Bay Village and local nursing homes as well. He was honored by the Mount Desert Island Hospital and Birch Bay Village as "Volunteer of the Year" in 2012 and 2019. He was also honored by the Bar Harbor Rotary Club in 2022, being named a "Paul Harris Fellow".

He is survived by his wife, Joanne (Salisbury) Sousa; his children, Elizabeth Loree husband, Jonathan, Tracy Sousa, Terri (Buzzell) Costa and husband, Eric; grandchildren, Kayla Elizabeth Loree and Arthur Jonathan Loree; great grandson, Enzo Loree Divito; his brother, Edward Sousa, niece, Terre Oswald and nephew, Steven Sousa. He was predeceased by his parents, Sabine Candido and Ruth (Hamor) Sousa; stepson, Christopher Buzzell and first wife, Barbara Wescott Sousa.

Tony valued his relationships with family and many friends. He was especially pleased that both his family and his brother Ed's family are so very close, truly a blessing. He believed that he had no unresolved issues with anyone.

A Memorial Service will be held in Tony's memory on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Church of Our Father, Hulls Cove. Memorial donations may be sent to "The Tony Fund", Church of Our Father P.O. Box 186, Hulls Cove, ME 04644.

Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com