Antonio "Tony" Pizzarello

We mourn the loss of Antonio “Tony” Pizzarello who began his life in Reggio Calabria Italy in 1931 where he lived with his parents and sister Olga. His earliest childhood memories were of World War II and of watching American bomber planes liberate Sicily and subsequently southern Italy when he was just a teen. Here was born what would become his lifelong fascination and love of aircraft.

He left Reggio to attend university at the Politecnica di Milano where he studied aeronautical engineering. While in Milan, he met Sandra Fabbri and they married in 1959 in her home town of Venice. Four children followed in rapid succession. During this time, Tony made the bold choice to delve into computer science, at Olivetti in Milan, but he was soon to make an even bolder choice. He received a job offer from Honeywell in Phoenix and moved his family to the United States in 1970. They arrived in Phoenix in May just in time to enjoy a pleasant summer of Arizona. The heat was nothing compared to the shock of not being able to purchase pasta or wine not in a jug at the local grocery store. At least not until many years later.

He spent the remainder of his life in Phoenix with his wife Sandra who predeceased him by two years. He had a long and distinguished career in computer science, devising a solution to the year 2000 problem and writing a book on large software systems in recent years. 

He became an avid cyclist, riding many miles every morning of his life until his early 80’s. After retiring from Honeywell, he achieved his lifelong dream of learning to fly a plane and became a licensed pilot in his 70s. He was a spectacular cook (good thing too, since Sandra was a terrible one) preparing extravagant and delicious meals for family, friends, and neighbors until just recently.  Though a mathematician and engineer by trade, Tony loved history, especially military history, and was an unending source of stories, information, and lesser-known facts about historical matters. He was blessed to enjoy lifelong friendships in Phoenix which he particularly cultivated after retirement with monthly gatherings of his poker group. Not much money was won, but much was eaten, and much wine was consumed. He did also teach them how to make risotto.

He is survived by three of his children, Elsa, Rocco, and Annalisa as well as his grandchildren Alessandro, Nicolas, Michael, and Matthew, and his sister Olga who still lives in Reggio Calabria. We wish him peace as he leaves us and rejoins Sandra and his son Francesco.

“And God shall wipe all the tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away” Revelations 21:4 

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.