Anthony (Tony) Lipari, 93, passed away peacefully Wednesday morning at St. Monica’s Senior Living Center. Tony’s true love, his wife of 67 years, Olivia, preceded him in death one month ago. Tony was born in 
Capo D’Orlando, Sicily on August 8, 1923, son of the late Giuseppe and Maria (Nee: Cartrine) Lipari. He lived in Racine for the past 82 years.
Tony’s strong work ethic started at age 8 when from dawn to dusk he helped tend the family’s Sicilian vineyard and olive grove. At age 11, after immigrating to Racine, he helped in his father’s garden and sold excess vegetables door to door. At age 18, Tony stacked hides at a local tannery before accepting a job with Western Publishing. In 1941, he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as an aerial engineer and was awarded the Purple Heart. After WWII, he continued his employment at Western Publishing Co., Inc. for 45 years, retiring in 1983.
Tony was a member of St. Edward Catholic Church and Roma Lodge. He enjoyed playing bocce, gardening, canning, baking, making Italian sausage and most of all spending time with his family.
Surviving are his children, Joseph (Barbara) Lipari, Patricia (Charles) Smetana, Anthony (Cynthia) Lipari, Marie (Michael) Doyle, Marc (Mary) Lipari; 11 grandchildren: Ross, Ben, Tom, Nick, Michael, Angela, Tony Christopher, Christie, Megan, Tony Robert, and Nicole; 13 great grandchildren: Luca, Raffaela, Capriana, Nolan, Nevan, Aiden, Gianna, Ella, Logan, Charlie, Cecilia, Vincent and Noah; siblings Dominic (the late Alberta) Lipari, Connie (the late Glen) Kurhajec, sister-in-laws Jennie (the late Raymond) Venturini, Josephine (William) Chiappetta, Mary Jane (Louis) Pillizzi, brother-in-laws Richard (Virginia) DeRose, Roger (Georgeanne) DeRose. In addition to his parents and his wife, Olivia, he was preceded in death by his sisters Mary (Frank) Rizzo, Sarah (Rocco) DeRose, and sister-in-law Frances (David) Scott.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Edward Catholic Church, 1401 Grove Ave. with Rev. Allen Bratkkowski and Rev. Richard Molter concelebrating. Entombment with Full Military Honors will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Hwy 32. Relatives and friends may meet Monday at the church, 9:30 a.m. until time of Mass at 11 a.m. Members of Roma Lodge will have a prayer service at 10:30 a.m. In observation of the Lenten season, in lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Monica’s Capital Campaign for the 2017 Memory Care Unit are suggested.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you to caregivers of St. Monica’s and the Hospice Alliance team for their loving care and support given to our father.
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