OBITUARY Anthony Bruno Menegazzo February 2, 1928 – November 1, 2018 Anthony “Tony” Menegazzo, resident of Rolling Meadows and formally from Chicago, IL passed peacefully on November 1st, at 90 years young. Tony was born in Chicago on February 22, 1928 to Guilia Castellan and Giovanni Menegazzo. He was a twin, however, his brother Bruno did not survive the year.
Sadly, Tony never knew his father who died before Tony and his brother were born as a result of a surgical complication. Guilia was devoted to Tony, and raised him for several years as a single mother until she remarried Moro Marin. Tony’s parents (including Moro) were born in a small town in Veneto, Italy, called Castello de Godego, where Tony loved to visit during his lifetime.
Tony’s life was filled with art, music and all things Edgar Rice Burroughs, the famous author of Tarzan. He was a long-standing contributor to ERBzine, an online magazine devoted to Edgar Rice Burroughs and his famous character, Tarzan. Tony wrote articles and contributed to the magazine for almost two decades, where he made many friends across the globe.
Tony was enamored with Tarzan; his license plates even said TARZAN 1888, his walls were covered with Tarzan movie posters and paintings that Tony had done, his bookshelves were filled with hundreds of Tarzan books, autographed photos from Johnny Weissmuller and other “Tarzan” movie stars lined the shelves. Tony volunteered at the Rolling Meadow’s Public Library for over 20 years as a “Friend of the Library”. He organized book sales and helped raise money to underwrite free concerts in the summer for the entire community.
In 2000, Tony volunteered to construct a diorama for the library celebrating Edgar Rice Burroughs 125th birthday. His exhibit spanned 10 feet long and 5 feet high depicting Tarzan and Jane in a real-life African setting. Tony loved to write and during his life completed several novels and short stories, one which he wrote about his feelings of losing his father at such a young age.
He was well-known for his artistry and pen and ink drawings that delighted his family and friends. His original comic book entitled Delli Brothers hangs proudly in his daughter’s home. Tony was a music aficionado, working at Chess records.
He was one of the first to have his own reel to reel tape system with which he recorded many musical talents, including his own family! Patty Page remained his favorite all-time artist despite his fascination in later years with Cher. Tony was an avid horseman, frequently taking his children to the Jack and Jill Ranch in Michigan for summer vacations where they would all dress as cowboys and ride the trails for hours.
Tony wasn’t afraid to ride a horse in the city either, many times he rode along the lakefront with his daughter after renting horses from the Lincoln Park stables. Tony was an avid skier and earned his Ski Patrol Officer designation. He volunteered as with the ski patrol for dozens of years at Villa Olivia and Chestnut Mountain and traveled to Colorado to ski with his friends.
To celebrate his 78th birthday, Tony traveled to Purgatory Mountain in Colorado and skied with his daughter, Karen and grandson, Robert. Tony was so pleased that three generations of the Menegazzo family were on the mountain at the same time. Tony loved to travel and would not hesitate to get in his car and head out without plan or purpose.
He traveled numerous times to Castello de Godego, his family’s hometown in Italy, where he would spend weeks with his cousins, aunts and uncles. Tutti Bene was his favorite Italian response, “all is good”. In 2014, Tony obtained his Italian citizenship.
This was a great of pride for him as he dearly loved his Italian heritage believed it to be a way to honor his parents. In order to obtain his citizenship, he had to share the contents of his “secret box” which he hid in his refrigerator. The contents contained his mother and father’s original Italian passports, army enlistment papers, ship manifests and many other treasured documents.
Tony’s Consulate agents was amazed at the perfect condition of the documents and the number and rarity of each one. The day Tony was issued his Italian passport, the entire staff of the Italian Consulate cheered and gave him a standing ovation! He traveled far and wide, from enjoying tipping a cold one on numerous Caribbean beaches to fulfilling his life-long dream of visiting Africa.
He traveled with his daughter to Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania where they absorbed the wonders of the world together. As an avid internet user, he became known to people around the globe for his jokes, stories and shared wisdoms. In these last years, Tony slowed down and was cared for not only by his immediate family, but others who were so meaningful to him, David Moreno and his #1 fan, Tiffany Garrett.
Tony will be sorely missed by his two children, Gary Menegazzo and his wife Jan and Karen Rowan and her husband, Richard, and two grandsons, Gary Michael and Robert Anthony. Services are pending. Just hours before Tony passed on, a loving family member from Castello de Godego posted on Facebook a prophetic saying from Saint Augustine: “Colore che amiamo e che abbiamo perduto non sono piu’ dove erano, ma sono ovunque noi siamo” translated “those we love and lost are no longer where they were, but they are everywhere we are”.
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