Anthony Joseph Petrocci
Attorney founded the family insurance business, active in his Jersey City community, beloved husband, father, and friend, 100
Anthony Joseph Petrocci, 100, of Jersey City, N.J., entered into eternal life on Nov. 21, 2019, at his home. Born April 12, 1919, to the late Diodoro and Rose (nee Frasca), he was a proud lifelong resident.
It's not often you hear that someone is proud to have been born, raised and lived their entire lives in Jersey City, N.J. But that was a fact about Anthony J. Petrocci, of the Greenville section, who recently passed away at the age of 100 years old.
The son of hard-working immigrant Italian parents, Anthony was one of nine children who lived above the family-owned store on Neptune Avenue. He attended Dickinson High School and later earned a law degree from John Marshall Law College (Seton Hall) in 1948.
In 1942 he joined the Army Air Corps (Air Force), where he attained the rank of staff sergeant/flight engineer and served until the end of World War II in 1945. He then worked for the Hudson County Court system for over 25 years, retiring in 1977. But in 1950 he also established the successful Anthony Petrocci Insurance Agency on Kennedy Blvd. in Jersey City, which is still the family-owned business, now approaching its 70th anniversary.
Anthony Petrocci was married to his beloved wife, Frances LaMagra Petrocci, for 75 years; she recently preceded him in death. Together, Frances and Anthony raised six children: Francine, Judy, Rosemarie, Ted, Charlie, and Anthony (Antone), all of whom hold degrees from various New Jersey colleges and universities. This was something Anthony was always very proud of. Anthony and Frances also enjoyed the antics of their 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Anthony was an active member in the Jersey City community, as a founding member / president of the Greenville Veterans Association, past president of the Italian-American Club, former Knights of Columbus officer, and a lifelong parishioner of St. Paul's Church, among other local civic activities.
Having been born in 1919, he lived to see 18 different U.S. presidents, four foreign wars, remembered Civil War veterans marching in Jersey City parades, saw iconic Roosevelt Stadium rise and fall, remembers when Curries Woods were real woods, the invention of the TV and watched as man landed on the moon. Anthony certainly lived a long, full life with fond memories of family gatherings, including beach vacations to Long Branch, N.J., and traveling with his wife Frances to China, Mexico, Italy, and Hawaii, among other places in the U.S.
Anthony Petrocci was a husband, father and friend who was well-liked and respected in the community by his friends, neighbors and peers. His passing ends part of an era that reflects an honorable work ethic and of those who made up his "Greatest Generation." He was a great one, who will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known him. His children will also miss him very much, as he truly was their hero.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Greenville Memorial Home, 374 Danforth Ave., Jersey City, N.J.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass on Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 14 Greenville Ave., Jersey City. Mausoleum entombment will follow at Holy Name Chapel Mausoleum, Jersey City. There will be no visitation on Monday morning prior to the Funeral Mass.