Obituary of Alfred Stephen Tarsitano

Alfred “Al” Tarsitano, 74, of Montville, NJ passed away on November 19th, 2023.

Al grew up in Brooklyn, NY, the oldest in a family of five. He attended Catholic elementary school and Erasmus High School. After graduation, he went to Brooklyn College and CCNY for his mechanical engineering degrees. Al started his career at Bechtel Engineering, and moved on to work for WW Kellogg in Hackensack, NJ, where he met his wife Denise. He ended his career at Covanta Energy in Morristown, NJ after having worked there for over 20 years. Al has always been a hard worker. Although his engineering career began after college, Al had been working since the early age of 11. He worked for both of his uncles, at a gas station and a mechanic shop, often foregoing family summer vacations to work. He put himself through college and graduate school without ever asking for financial help from anyone.

Al was an athlete and enjoyed physical fitness; he even came in second place in his high school’s Presidential Fitness Award competition out of five thousand students. He was an avid skier and traveled to  Colorado and Vermont to ski. It was on a work-sponsored ski trip to Lake Placid, that he got to know his future wife Denise after sharing a seat next to her on the bus. Al was a car fanatic, and at different times in his life had a motorcycle, a Fiat, and his prized possession, a baby blue XKE Jaguar. He loved to swim and had many wonderful trips to places such as Greece, the Jersey shore, Bethany Beach, and Hawaii. He was extremely intelligent and gifted in understanding how things worked; there was nothing Al couldn’t build or fix. 

Al’s greatest joy in life was his family. After a full day of work, he always had time to play with his children or help with dinner. He took an active role in their lives, coaching soccer and basketball teams and never missing an important event. He made it his mission to create a loving, close-knit family, putting everyone else’s needs before his own. He continued serving as a loving father and mentor to his adult children and wife for his whole life, ceaseless in his devotion to his family. Sunday dinners, daily phone calls, and family vacations were what he loved most. He was overjoyed with the birth of his new grandson and his daughter’s upcoming wedding.

What stood out most to everyone who met Al was his unparalleled character. He lived with grace and dignity and treated everyone he met with patience and kindness. Al always had time to listen or give advice, and was generous with his time, money, and love. He was a true angel on Earth. The greatest test of Al’s character came in the last ten years of his life when he became blind. He never burdened anyone with his disability or complained, in spite of immeasurable obstacles and difficulties. Even while blind, Al stoically managed to continue to support everyone around him and put his own needs last. 

Al is survived by his wife Denise, daughter Alexandra, son Stephen, grandson Paul, and siblings, Cathy-Anne, Mary, Annie, and Michael. He was loved dearly and will be so missed by all those who knew him.

Visiting will be held on Friday, November, 24th 2023 from 2:00 to 7:00 PM at Dangler Lewis & Carey Funeral Home, 312 West Main St. in Boonton. Additional parking available across the street at Lakeland Bank and street parking.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey, 155 Morris Avenue, Denville, NJ 07834. www.vlanj.org.