Anthony Vincent Mingione

Anthony Vincent (“Tony”) Mingione, May 28, 1948 to April 14, 2025

Tony was born in New York City in 1948 to Dominic and Carmela (Camille) Mingione. He spent his childhood in Manhattan and the Bronx along with his parents and his three brothers Dominic, Frank, and Stephen. Tony attended Cardinal Spellman High School, where he met the love of his life Grace Mingione (Arcuri). He also played running back on the Spellman High School football team, which was the source of many fond memories (though not so many victories).

Tony graduated from Spellman in 1966 and attended St. John’s University along with Grace. Tony was opinionated and outspoken. He attended college in a turbulent time, and twice marched on Washington, once in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1967, and later to protest the Vietnam War. After graduating from St. John’s in 1970, Tony and Grace both became teachers. Knowing Tony’s penchant for speaking his mind, it should come as no surprise that he was denied tenure due to his attempt to organize his fellow Catholic school teachers into a labor union. After teaching, he pivoted to a career in public service, working with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for nearly 30 years. Tony was instrumental in drafting and promoting New York’s seat belt law—the first of its kind in the United States. He served on the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and oversaw the regulation of driving schools before retiring in 2003.

In his personal life, Tony and Grace got married in 1972 and traveled the world before settling down to raise a family. He and Grace had two children, Tony (1978) and Adrienne (1980). In between, they left the New York City area in 1979 and moved upstate after Tony’s job required him to relocate to Albany. Tony and Grace settled in Clifton Park where Grace started teaching math at a local middle school, and Clifton Park was their home for over 40 years.

Tony was active in the community. He coached his son Tony in baseball and served as President of the Town of Clifton Park Baseball League for many years. Tony was instrumental in the design and build of the Clifton Commons, a multi-sport field and public facility complex on donated land in Clifton Park that is still in use today. He also served as the junior varsity baseball coach at Shenendehowa High School for several seasons. He started his extremely long tenure with girls’ basketball when his daughter Adrienne signed up in the 4th grade and the original coach quit after just one practice. Tony stepped up in a pinch and stayed for decades, coaching even long after Adrienne graduated. Tony helped to organize and start the Capital District Girls Basketball League in 1994 which eventually grew to over 60 teams that compete in grades 4 through 8. He helped start the Clifton Park Girls Recreational program, which currently has over 200 students participate annually. Tony started the Southern Saratoga Sparks Girls AAU basketball program and served as an assistant coach for the Shenendehowa High School Girls Varsity Basketball team from 2003 to 2015, helping the team win three sectional titles and reach the New York State championship. In recognition of his contributions to youth sports in Clifton Park and at Shenendehowa, Tony was inducted into the Shenendehowa High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. Tony loved working out at the local YMCA, hosting pool parties, and going out with his friends. He continued coaching and refereeing until relocating to Reston, Virginia in 2019.

Tony also loved to travel. He and Grace went cross country in the 1970s and twice backpacked through Europe. He and Grace also took many camping trips together, culminating in one particularly important trip in October 1977, when they decided it was time to have a family after learning that Elvis Presley had passed away and deciding that although the King would no doubt be remembered forever, they could not be sure who might remember them someday. (As a side note, their son Tony is eternally grateful not to have been named “Elvis.”) They continued traveling after the kids came along, though the destinations were a bit different. Every summer brought our family’s highlight: a two-week trip to Days’ Cottages in Cape Cod with Grace’s family. There was a pop-up camping adventure where the trailer (mostly) stayed attached during highway driving (Adrienne’s job to alert the parents should it detach was well-appointed), and a couple of trips to Disney World. Once the kids grew up the trips got adventurous again. Tony went on a father-daughter trip with Adrienne to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He and Grace took several cruises and spent time in the Caribbean. They also made many trips to Europe often with their siblings—though not in hostels this time around. They went to Sicily, Spain, Portugal, St. Lucia, Canada, Cuba, and many other places. They visited Alaska and even spent time in Italy meeting with long-lost relatives with whom they had reconnected. Tony combined his love of sports and travel by making an annual pilgrimage to a baseball stadium with friends, eventually seeing at least one game in every team’s home stadium. His favorite game visit was with his children, when they saw their beloved Yankees play in the World Series.

As he got older, however, Tony’s favorite trips were with his four grandchildren, Lily, Madison, Matthew, and Armand. Those trips were always more about who he was with than where he was going. Whether it was Delaware, Cape Cod, Maryland, Virginia, Maine, the Jersey Shore, or Florida, Tony treasured those family moments most. His grandchildren were his favorite people, and his favorite topic of conversation. As many of his t-shirts, coffee mugs, and key chains stated: “My favorite people call me Papa.” Nothing made him happier than watching his grandkids participate in their various activities or congratulating them on some award or achievement they had earned. His favorite thing to ask for every season was the grandkids’ activity schedule, and he tried to plan family visits around getting to as many of them as possible. His presence was always felt as he led the family with love, joy, humor, and an appreciation for life that we will all miss terribly.

Tony is survived by his wife Grace (Arcuri), son Tony, daughter Adrienne Bouleris, daughter-in-law Alison Kowalski-Mingione, son-in-law Jason (Jay) Bouleris, and his grandchildren: Lily Mingione (15), Madison Bouleris (13), Matthew Mingione (12), and Armand Bouleris (8). He is also survived by his brothers Dominic, Frank, and Stephen, and their spouses Janice, Joanne, and Denise, respectively (who declined for us to add their ages).

Please consider supporting our efforts to raise critical funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in memory of Anthony V. Mingione, our loving husband, father, and grandfather by visiting his personalized donation site.

A celebration of Anthony’s life will be held on Saturday May 3rd, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home, located at 76 Park Street, Montclair, NJ 07042. Family and friends are invited to attend and share memories.