Anthony V. "Tony" Abbate

Anthony V. "Tony" Abbate, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away at the age of 88, on the 10th of May 2019, surrounded by his family, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Tony is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Peggy A. (Bowers) Abbate; a son, John Abbate (Denise) of Erie; two daughters, Kim Eustes (Don) of Haughton, LA and Sue Ingalls of Erie; a sister, Carol Dean (Jerry); brother-in-law, Jack Prassack. He also leaved behind seven grandchildren: Tony Abbate, John Abbate (Lisa), Kim Kwitowski (Chris), Bethany Tilbury (Derrick), Andrea Westen (Chase), Wesley Eustes (Megan), and Katie Bish (Nate); as well as eleven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Born in Erie on January 13, 1931 to the late Giovanni (John) and Mary (Amendola) Abbate, Tony was a lifelong Erie resident.
Tony graduated from East High School before enlisting in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict. After receiving an honorable discharge, he attended the Erie Veterans School, excelling in cabinet making and went on to work at Hammermill Paper Company for 42 years before retiring in 1993.
Tony's greatest accomplishment was his family. He relished retirement; spending countless hours at his grandchildren's wrestling matches, baseball, softball, soccer and basketball games, dance recitals, as well as coaching and keeping stats for their teams. He enjoyed doing many woodworking projects for friends, relatives and his church. Tony took great pride in gardening and preparing foods for others from his harvest. Tony also enjoyed traveling and visiting casinos across the country.
Tony was a member of St. Mark the Evangelist R. C. Church and an active member in the Knights of Columbus as a 4th Degree Knight. Tony was a lifetime member of the Siebenbuerger Club, a member of the American Legion, Carl Neff Post #571 and the JFK senior center.
Tony was preceded in death by brothers, James and Frank Abbate and sisters, Edith McKee, Theresa Prassack and Rose Abbate.
Family and friends may call at the Dusckas-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 5151 Buffalo Rd. (at Hannon Rd. in Harborcreek Twp.) on Monday, May 13th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and are invited to attend a prayer service there on Tuesday, May 14th at 9:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Mark the Evangelist R. C. Church, 695 Smithson Ave. The Rev. Msgr. Dan Arnold will preside. Following the Funeral Mass, Tony will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery with full military honors rendered by the American Legion, Carl Neff Post #571 Military Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 2115 W. 38th St., Erie, PA 16508.
Special thanks to AseraCare Hospice, especially Laura, Stefanie, Bob, Sandy and Audrey.