Anthony J. Lasala

Anthony John Lasala was born September 15, 1940, in New Haven to Ernestine (D'Onofrio) and John Lasala. A lifelong resident of Hamden and Branford, he traveled south to college, where he met his future wife, Eunice Young. Upon Tony's graduation from Washington and Lee University School of Law in Virginia, the couple relocated as newlyweds to Manhattan, where Tony first practiced law. In 1966, Eunice and Tony planted roots in Branford, the birthplace of Tony's mother. Tony served as an associate at the New Haven law firm of Reilly & Peck. Tony later established his own firm with partners James Walsh and Joe Wicklow on Bradley Street in the former home of his grandparents, where he had lived until the age of six. Tony and his partners retired in 2019, closing the firm. Tony served on The Branford Board of Education in his early years, eventually becoming Chairman. He also served as Commissioner of the Branford Police Department and President of the New Haven Museum and Historical Society. He was a member of the Connecticut Bar Association and the New Haven County Bar Association, and he took great pride in serving as an adjunct professor and teaching trial law at Yale Law School. He was a member of the Quinnipiack Club and the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club. Tony was an avid reader and writer with an attuned appreciation for grammar. His passion for twentieth-century history, particularly that of New Haven, was reflected in his unprecedented collection of cast-iron automotive toys and AC Gilbert trains, as well as his deep admiration for the golden age of film. Tony loved his God, his family, and his country. Serving as an altar boy at an early age, he was a devout Catholic and communicant of St. Therese Church, avidly encouraging weekly attendance to everyone in his extended network of family, friends, and associates. Tony was a lover of all animals. He and Eunice established the Lasala Fund for Animals in the Branford Community Foundation. He also supported Eunice in endeavors saving feral cats through The Branford Compassion Club. In addition to his wife, Tony is survived by his three sons: John, Edward, and Andrew, and five grandchildren: Lucas, Nicholas, Ferra, Leonardo, and Ford Lasala, as well as his beloved aide, Nellie Mangs. He was predeceased by his father, his mother, and his sister, Julie Festa. Friends are invited to go directly to St. Therese Church 105 Leetes Island Rd. Branford, CT on Saturday to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Center Cemetery, Branford, CT Visitation will be held in MARESCA & SONS FUNERAL HOME 592 Chapel St., New Haven, CT on Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. In place of flowers, donations in Tony's memory can be made to: The Branford Compassion Club, PO Box 768, Branford, CT 06405 (branfordcompassionclub.org) or The Branford Community Foundation, PO Box 462, Branford, CT 06405 (branfordcommunityfoundation.org. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Anthony J. Lasala, please visit our floral store.