WAKEFIELD — On August 26 at 1:12 a.m., Anthony John Gonnella passed peacefully with his family by his side. Tony or as many called him, The Dude, was born in Chisholm, ME on July 16, 1935 and was the son of Peter Leroy Gonnella and Grace (Volpe) Gonnella.
Tony, his mother Grace and his 5 siblings moved south to MA in 1953 with the assistance of his uncle, Governor John Volpe. After settling in Wakefield, Tony married Barbara Ann Palermo on August 7, 1955. Tony and Barbara had five boys: Michael, Mark, John, Peter and Paul. Tony is preceded by his sons Michael and Peter. Tony is also preceded by his brothers Robert, George and his sister Virginia Miraglia and is survived by his brother Leroy and sister Ann Powers.
Being an athlete himself in high school, Tony was a big influence in introducing his sons to sports. He was also heavily involved in the Wakefield community. He was the vice president of the CSF of Wakefield with Harry Crouse; the vice president of Wakefield Pop Warner; coached little league and worked closely with Zach Boyages for over 20 years in Wakefield Youth Basketball.
Tony also was a chairman of the committee to name the Wakefield High School library the John A Volpe library. He also worked closely with John McCarthy, Bob Dolbeare, Dr. Maio and Al Palmerino on other town related projects and lastly worked with Harry Crouse in creating the now Wakefield High School Sports Hall of Fame with the blessing of then athletic director Frank Charbonneau. Tony’s two sons Paul and Peter are in the Wakefield Athletic Hall of Fame.
Tony did some college work at Wentworth Institute and worked for his uncle Governor John Volpe (Volpe Construction) in the concrete business at a young age and then worked with his brothers at Gonnella Brothers/Gonnella Construction for decades. Tony was an expert finish carpenter who mastered the use of a skill saw and could swing a hammer with the best of them. He worked closely with his brothers Bob and George, along with Al Powers, Charlie Tringale, Jimmy Tringale, Billy Gonnella, Eddie Gonnella, Tommy Gonnella, John Gonnella, Stephen Gonnella, Lee Gonnella, George Gonnella Jr. and Bill Scappice.
Only one of three families from Wakefield with just 5 boys (Gonnella, Conroy and Tecce), the Gonnella name is highly respected throughout the Northshore and greater Boston. The parties at the Gonnella house were epic, especially after big basketball wins for Wakefield High School, the often times physical Thanksgiving Day street football games as was Barbara’s cooking and nothing eclipsed Tony singing “My Way” regularly at family functions/weddings.
Regulars at the Gonnella house were Don Gammons, Zach Boyages, Bill Sydlowski, Don Flanagan, Ernie Donahue, Harry Crouse, the Demarco’s and the Gonnella boys along with their many, many friends. Whether it was playing basketball under the lights at the house on Greenwood Ave., playing street football on Francis Ave or raiding the refrigerator and Barbara’s leftovers, days at the Gonnella house were always eventful to say the least.
Tony always taught his kids right from wrong, he taught family values and he taught that hard work wins every time. Two of his favorite quotes in teaching his sons values were “you are who you hang out with” and “you play for the name on the front of the jersey and you protect the name on the back”. These quotes and values and Tony’s foot print will live on forever.
Tony remarried in May of 1999 to Jeannine Yvonne Perez and moved to Apex, NC to be near his son and cherished grandchildren Jordan and Taylor. He is survived by his wife Jeanine; his sons Mark (Shelley Cadiz); John (Tracey Gunther); and Paul (Amanda Studebaker) along with 13 grandchildren: Jordan, Jennifer, Angela, Taylor, Nina, Paul Angelo, Anthony, Cameron, Anna, Francesca, Joey, Michael Peter and Rocco, along with Tony and Gabe and three great-grandchildren Violet, Avery and Brady.