Obituary of Anthony Carl Caputo

Anthony C. "Tony" Caputo, 89, of Longboat Key, Florida and Bridgewater, New Jersey died on May 13, 2016 from Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Born in Brooklyn, he grew up in Jersey City and, after marriage, moved to Scotch Plains. In 1964 he moved to Bridgewater, residing there until 1964. He split his time between Longboat Key, Florida and Bridgewater. He was a longtime parishioner of St. Brigid R.C. Church in Peapack Gladstone, NJ, and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Longboat Key, Florida. He leaves his wife of 64 years, Gilda B., son Steven A. and Mary Caputo of Skillman, NJ, daughter Gilda C. Caputo-Hansen and her husband Matt Hansen of Stewart Manor, NY, sons Robert G. Caputo, of Bridgewater, NJ and Ronald Scott of Mendham, NJ, grandchildren Steven A. Caputo Jr., Elizabeth "Ibby" Caputo, Sarah Caputo, Madison Caputo, Jared Caputo, Marcella Chmely and Willy Chmely, great grandchildren Charlotte Caputo and Oliver Caputo, and nephews Dennis Scianni and Anthony Scianni. He was predeceased by his parents, Antonio and Rose Caputo, and by two siblings, Frank Caputo and Rosalie Scianni. Tony graduated from Snyder High School in 1945. He gained national acclaim for his sprinting ability winning the Silver Medal in the mile relay at the 1945 Penn Relays, Silver in the 880 yard run at the 1945 Hudson County Championships, Gold in the 1945 two-mile relay at the PBA Championships, and Gold in the 1945 NJ 440 relay championships. Immediately upon graduating from high school he was drafted by the US Army. He was originally destined to go to the Pacific Theater, but the war in Japan ended days after he reported for duty and he was reassigned to Berlin to defend the taking of the City by the Russians. The Army identified his superior athletic ability during boot camp and his first assignment was the Army Athletic Staff School in Stuttgart to train for the planning, organization, and conduct of the Army Athletic Program. He held the rank of Tech Corporal working as a Truck Driver and a "Ball Player." He coached the Army baseball and football teams and was a member of the Army track team. In 1946 he represented the United States in the Allied Games held in Berlin Stadium, running the 400 relay and 1600-yard relay. The US finished second and he and his teammates were awarded their medals by General Omar Bradley. In 1947 he returned home and enrolled in Queens College, Rutgers University. He graduated as an Electrical Engineer in 1952 and did postgraduate work at Newark College of Engineering, now NJIT. Upon graduation he worked for Western Electric in Kearny, NJ, designing advanced telephone switching systems. After moving to Scotch Plains he worked for Kingston Conley and then Howell Electric Motors. In 1980 he started Equipment Specialty Products, Inc. and began representing various manufacturers in the electric motor and elevator industry. For 36 years he was proudly associated with Imperial Electric Co. of Ohio. He was a member of ASHRAE and the National Association of Elevator Companies (NACE) attending their annual conferences through the year 2015. He retired in December 2015 after 83 consecutive years of work, having started his employment as a six-year-old shining shoes at the neighborhood shoe repair shop. Work was his hobby. Talking with customers and solving problems energized him every day Tony was a champion of character, integrity and trust in the workplace and at home. He believed that shaking hands broke down barriers and established mutual respect. He was a legendary hand-shaker. For over 50 years Tony started the day walking four and one half miles. He was keenly interested in national politics and sports. He had all of his mental faculties right up to his death. His other joy in life was his family, his grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He especially enjoyed grilling Thumanns Franks at midnight after a family celebration. Tony and Gilda went on more than 30 cruises across the world. They also enjoyed their annual vacation at the Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno, Italy on the shore of Lago Maggiore where he especially enjoyed dining on melon and prosciutto, cavatelli and broccoli and Florentine steak. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main Street Peapack, NJ 07977 (908) 234-0590. Viewing will be on May 17, 2016 from 5 pm through 9 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. at St. Brigid's Church, 129 Main Street, Peapack, NJ. Internment will be at Gate of Heaven Mausoleum, 225 Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, NJ 07936. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you support Team Tony in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk on October 15, 2016 at Forrestal Village, in Princeton, New Jersey. Make donations or register to walk at http://pages.lightthenight.org/nj/Prince16/TeamTony.