Mr. Gaetano "Tony" Mastorio
February 11, 1922 — January 25, 2015
Mr. Gaetano "Tony" Mastorio
Early on the morning of January 25th, 2015, Gaetano "Tony" Anthony Mastorio, 92, passed quietly in his sleep at Ashe Assisted Living.
Tony's journey through life began February 11th, 1922 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, growing up in an Italian household, a son of proud immigrants. He started his life as a shoeshine boy to help support his family. His voracious appetite for adventure grew, and he left home at the age of 18 with nothing more than a tomato and a dime in his pocket to make his way in the world. He hitchhiked his way up to New York, where he enlisted in the Army, was assigned to the parachute infantry and was shipped out to the front lines of WWII. He saw action in France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, as foot soldier in the infantry. His harrowing and heartbreaking stories about the realities of war were punctuated with offbeat accounts of bartering with gypsies, poker games with Russian troops and trading pantyhose for a small dog that he brought home for his much-loved mother.
A military man through and through, he stayed on in Germany after the war as a civilian translator and analyst for the Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It was there that he met his vivacious wife, Ellenor I. Berger, married in 1956, and raised their two daughters, Janice and Nancy. In 1972 the family moved back to the United States, settling in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2011, Tony and Ellenor moved to Ashe County, a place they grew to love and cherish, making new friends and living out the rest of their days. After the death of his beloved wife in 2012, Tony chose to move to Ashe Assisted Living which provided him with great love and care.
Tony's life was guided by an ardent devotion to his ideals and to his extended family. He was a quiet man, with a sharp mind and wit, a great sense of honor and integrity, and a gleam in his eye. Up until he passed, Tony remembered his roots, generously contributing to those less fortunate and to his fellow military veterans. We will miss our paisano and proud veteran and will remember him through food, love, and laughter as he would wish us to.
Tony is survived by two daughters, Janice Mastorio-Worth of West Jefferson and Nancy M. Huthchinson of Stafford,Virginia; four grandchildren, Alexandra, Vanessa, Matthew and Brent; sisters Antoinette Bauman, and Mary Lynch; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ashe Assisted Living 182 Chattyrob Lane, West Jefferson, NC 28694.
Tony's journey through life began February 11th, 1922 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, growing up in an Italian household, a son of proud immigrants. He started his life as a shoeshine boy to help support his family. His voracious appetite for adventure grew, and he left home at the age of 18 with nothing more than a tomato and a dime in his pocket to make his way in the world. He hitchhiked his way up to New York, where he enlisted in the Army, was assigned to the parachute infantry and was shipped out to the front lines of WWII. He saw action in France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, as foot soldier in the infantry. His harrowing and heartbreaking stories about the realities of war were punctuated with offbeat accounts of bartering with gypsies, poker games with Russian troops and trading pantyhose for a small dog that he brought home for his much-loved mother.
A military man through and through, he stayed on in Germany after the war as a civilian translator and analyst for the Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It was there that he met his vivacious wife, Ellenor I. Berger, married in 1956, and raised their two daughters, Janice and Nancy. In 1972 the family moved back to the United States, settling in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2011, Tony and Ellenor moved to Ashe County, a place they grew to love and cherish, making new friends and living out the rest of their days. After the death of his beloved wife in 2012, Tony chose to move to Ashe Assisted Living which provided him with great love and care.
Tony's life was guided by an ardent devotion to his ideals and to his extended family. He was a quiet man, with a sharp mind and wit, a great sense of honor and integrity, and a gleam in his eye. Up until he passed, Tony remembered his roots, generously contributing to those less fortunate and to his fellow military veterans. We will miss our paisano and proud veteran and will remember him through food, love, and laughter as he would wish us to.
Tony is survived by two daughters, Janice Mastorio-Worth of West Jefferson and Nancy M. Huthchinson of Stafford,Virginia; four grandchildren, Alexandra, Vanessa, Matthew and Brent; sisters Antoinette Bauman, and Mary Lynch; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ashe Assisted Living 182 Chattyrob Lane, West Jefferson, NC 28694.
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