Anthony Papalis
May 31, 1949 — January 2, 2014
Biography
Anthony Papalis
Anthony (Tony) Papalis departed our beautiful Florida Keys for a more beautiful Heaven on January 2, 2014. Tony was born in Elizabeth, NJ on May 31, 1949, the son of Anthony Papalis, Sr. and Leah Kugis Papalis.
Spending summers on the Jersey shore, Tony developed a love of the water and everything related to it. He was a resident of Ocean Gate, NJ where he met his best friend and future wife Kathy. Tony loved clamming and crabbing and vegetable gardening and so did Kathy. They loved nothing more than coming home with the catch of the day to cook up on the grill with something fresh from the garden. Together, they moved their life to the Islamorada area in 1990 where they continued enjoying our beautiful world.
Tony was a lover of all animals, especially labrador retrievers, and he was one of the best humans a dog could have. Although generally a quiet guy, Tony had a terrific sense of humor and loved good food, good people, and good rock and roll.
Tony was a military veteran having served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War on the USS Cadmus, both stateside and overseas. He was also retired from the NJ Park Service as a State Park Ranger.
In addition to his wife, Kathy, Tony is survived by two sisters: Victoria (Jack) Madaras and Carol (Hank) Dudek. He also leaves three nieces: Jennifer, Laura, and Jamie; and two nephews: Frank and Michael. Although he never told them often enough, he was very proud of them and loved them immensely.
Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, January 23, at 11:00 a.m. at San Pedro Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Florida Keys, or to a charity of your choice. The Allen-Beyer Funeral Home is handling arrangements.