Obituary of Anthony A Zvirblys

Anthony A. Zvirblys died Sunday, April 23, 2017, aged 93, in the home he shared with his wife and best friend of almost 55 years, Mary P. Hogan Zvirblys. Tony was born on August 26th, 1923 to Lithuanian parents Maria Zubrickas and Kalistas Zvirblys. Tony was the last surviving member of his family which included his brothers Joseph, Alphonse, John, and his sisters Helen and Anna. They endured the Great Depression while living in Elizabeth Port NJ. Tony was a member of the Greatest Generation; an army veteran of World War II and Purple Heart recipient. He described his family's service as part Thirteen WNET New York War Stories archives: "I am the last of four brothers who served during WWII. Two of us were wounded in combat, I was shot by a sniper in Rosignano, Italy, on July 5, 1944, south of Genoa. Military service was indeed a great travel experience for me, from Florida infantry training to Casablanca, Morocco, to Oran, the Anzio beachhead to Rome as the Germans retreated. We all survived the rest of the war a family intact once again." After the war he attended Rider College on the G.I. Bill, receiving a degree in business. He went on to work in the federal government for 28 years. He met his Irish-born future wife on one of his many travels throughout Europe. They kept in touch with frequent letter writing and were eventually married. They raised three daughters, Catherine, Ann and Aileen together in Roselle, NJ. In their retirement, they moved to Washington, Warren County, NJ. Tony lived a life to which we all should aspire: he was retired for more years than he had been employed and was a world traveler: visiting Cuba in the 1950's, behind the iron curtain to Lithuania in the 1980's and many times to Ireland with Mary and his daughters. He loved and supported the arts, listened to classical music and opera, and enjoyed reading history and studying foreign cultures. He listened religiously to the opera every Saturday, Live From the Met, on WQXR. He had an operatic singing voice that would have been at home on the Met stage. Tony was an avid reader of the NY Times for over 70 years. A man with a wealth of knowledge, and one before his time, he was a one-man protest army, writing letters to various papers when the politics of the day prompted such or protesting social and political injustices in person. Tony is survived by his wife Mary and his three daughters, Catherine (Michael) Dowling, Ann (John) Tarafas, Aileen (Michael) Martucci, seven granddaughters and one grandson: Bridgid, Ainsley, Alina, Annelise, Andrew, Joelle, Katarina, and Maria. To them, Grandpa was their favorite story teller, silly face-maker, and friend. In Anthony's memory, toast to him with a glass of red wine and listen to Luciano Pavarotti sing Puccini's aria Nessum Dorma. This is what Tony would have enjoyed. Friends and family may pay their respects on Friday April 28, 2017 from 7:00-9:30 PM and again on Saturday April 29, from 10:00-10:30 AM.at the Warren Hills Memorial Home. 234 W. Washington Ave. Washington, NJ 07882. A Mass of Christion Burial will be celebrated on Saturday April 29, at 11:00 AM at St Joseph Catholic Church. 200 Carlton Ave. Washington, NJ. Interment will follow at the parish cemetery. To send an on-line condolence please visit www.warrenhillsmemorialhome.com In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in his memory to St. Peter and Paul R.C. Church, Elizabeth, N.J (http://www.peterandpaul.us/peterandpaul/history/) or St Joseph's R.C Church, Outreach Ministry - Food Bank, Washington, NJ 07882. (http://www.stjosephwashingtonnj.org/index.html)