Obituary of Anthony E. Iona

STOW – Anthony “Tony” E. Iona, 84, died January 18, 2012 after a brief and courageous battle with cancer. Born in Akron, he was a resident of Stow since 1959. Tony was a faithful member of Holy Family Catholic Church and was proud of his Italian heritage. A graduate of Buchtel High School, Class of 1945, he proudly served his country in the U.S. Army. Tony worked at Gougler as a machinist and retired from Ben Franklin Warehouse in Stow, where he was a member of Teamsters Local 24. Mr. Iona became concerned about the decline of products manufactured in the U.S. many years ago. He pledged to buy products solely Made in the U.S.A. in the early 1960’s and remained steadfast to his commitment until his death. He enjoyed music and dancing with the love of his life and best friend, Carmella, spending time with his family and was a proud supporter of his grandchildren’s activities. He was a lifelong student of history and politics and was an active member in Stow Sunshiners. Tony had a true passion for the Akron area and traveling with his wife. Preceded in death by his parents Tomaso and Elizabeth Iona; brother-in-law Sundae Ciancio; sister-in-law Mildred Ciancio and brother-in-law Joseph Sansonetti, he is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carmella; sons Tom Iona of Doylestown, Russ (Robin) Iona of Cuyahoga Falls and Jim Iona of Munroe Falls; grandchildren Bryan, Anthony and Nicholas; great-grandson Westin; sisters Adelia “Lil” Sansonetti of Fairlawn and Helen (Dan) Marchetta of Bath; brother-in-law Ben (Dianne Bradfield) Ciancio of Rootstown, relatives in Italy and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and friends. Friends are invited to Redmon Funeral Home for visitation Tuesday 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 PM and Wednesday 9:00 to 10:00 AM. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday 10:30 AM at Holy Family Catholic Church. Entombment at Rose Hill Burial Park, with military honors provided by Charles Faust Post #281.  Mr. Iona's video tribute may be seen here.