Anthony "Tony" Dominic Grappo

Tony passed away quietly in April in Las Vegas, NV after 93 years of a life filled with love, service, faith and happiness. He was born in a small town not far from Akron, Ohio, where he was raised and educated until moving to Youngstown and later Akron. His commitment to service to his country, strong work ethic, business judgment and warm and accepting personality were hallmarks of his life. Following graduation from high school, Tony immediately signed up for the Marine Corps. Months later, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was deployed to the South Pacific, where he spent four years. He fought in many of the Pacific’s most iconic battles, including Guadalcanal, Eniwetok, Guam and Okinawa. He returned to Akron following the war and began working for Capital Airlines, which would later become United Airlines. He also met and married the woman who would remain his wife and greatest love for 65 years, Viola, or Vi. They had two sons. However, soon after their births, he again answered the call of his country and rejoined the Marines to deploy to Korea. He spent a year and a half in the Korean War, returning in late 1953. Following that war, he decided to remain in the Marine Corps. He was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he and his family would live for several years, before moving in 1955 to Orlando where they would settle. Tony spent one year serving in Okinawa, 1959-1960, where he is credited with establishing Little League Baseball. He retired from the Marines in 1962, having served for 22 years, including service as the Sergeant Major for the USMC Reserve Unit in Orlando and as Senior Marine Recruiter for Central Florida. In 1970, Tony and Vi founded Landmark Realty, which they jointly ran for more than 30 years. They relocated to Winter Park in 1971 and resided there until his passing. A life-long devout Roman Catholic, he was a parishioner of Saint Margaret Mary Church of Winter Park for nearly 35 years. Throughout their lives, he and Vi enjoyed travelling throughout the western US and visited nearly all of the great national parks of the American West. He was especially fond of the deserts of southeastern Utah and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Tony is survived by his two sons, Gary of Denver, CO, and Tony, of Las Vegas, NV, and Gary’s wife, Rebecca. He also had five grandchildren and a great granddaughter. He is also is survived by one sister, Flo, of Viera, FL.

Anthony "Tony" Dominic Grappo

September 9, 1922 - April 6, 2016