Anthony Matthew Sibilio Obituary
Anthony (Tony) Matthew Sibilio, 73, passed away at his home on September 23, 2023. A private gathering will be held at a later date.
Tony was preceded in death by both of his grandparents; his parents, Anthony and Jean (Wright) Sibilio; and his niece, Lisa (Sibilio) Gainey.
Tony is survived by his brothers, Ed Sibilio-NY, John Sibilio-NY; his sister, Anita (Sibilio) Nelson-NY; his daughters, Christina (Rick) Schulten-NY and Robin (Tristan) Guthrie-TX; his son, Anthony (Lindsay) Sibilio-IA; his grandson, Noah-TX; his granddaughters, Claire and Josie-TX and Mia and Gianna-IA; and many nephews, nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces in New York and South Carolina.
Tony was born on July 9, 1950, in Buffalo, NY, the son of Anthony and Jean (Wright) Sibilio. He was the oldest of his siblings, with a sister Anita, and two brothers, Ed and John. Tony grew up in the Buffalo area where he remembered fondly his times with his close-knit family and friends. After high school he joined the Navy where he served for four years until returning to New York. In the 70s, Tony made his way to the state of Iowa, a place he loved and where he would spend the remainder of his life. Tony was married and divorced to Susan LePage, with whom he had a daughter Christy, and Megan (Herzberger) Updegraff, with whom he had a daughter and son, Robin and Tony. He had five wonderful grandchildren, including one grandson, Noah, and four granddaughters, Claire, Josie, Mia, and Gianna. He loved his children and grandchildren.
Tony loved his friends and family and often reflected on his important friendships throughout the years. He particularly loved the outdoors and treasured his time in nature fishing and camping. He always spoke glowingly of his times on the lakes in Minnesota, with his boathouse friends at the Coralville Reservoir, and any opportunity he had to get out and walk around in nature. Tony loved to travel and always enjoyed visiting family and friends in New York, South Carolina, and Texas. Although color blind and suffering from arthritis and neuropathy, he enjoyed painting, and spent much of his time reflecting on his many trips and experiences by painting with paint-by-numbers. His great regret in recent years was that his health did not allow him to be as active and able to go to the places he desired.
Over the past several years, Tony's health declined due to illness, and he had to rely on his community of friends and healthcare professionals. His family is thankful for the care that he received from the staff at Mercy Care, Veterans Affairs, and University of Iowa Hospital. His family would also like to thank his friends who were so important to him and on whom he relied heavily including, but not limited to, Bill, Pam, Darrell, Bob and Sue, TP and Nora, and his best friend and longtime roommate, Pat Shaw, who passed away in 2022.
Tony was proud to be a Navy veteran. The VA Hospital in Iowa City provided many services to him over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tony's memory to the VA Iowa City Hospital to help other veterans.
