Anthony Corcella

Noank — Anthony Tony Corcella, age 91, of Noank, passed away peacefully March 3, 2024. He was born to John and Madeline Corcella on June 19, 1932, in Albertson, Long Island, N.Y.

Raised in the Catholic faith, Tony attended St. Aiden’s, in Albertson, where he also served as altar boy. He attended Cross Street School and Mineola High School before attending the State University of New York at Albany (formerly New York State College for Teachers at Albany) and Ohio State University, receiving both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Tony proudly served in the U.S. Navy from June 1951 to June 1955 as an electronics technician first class on the USS Lake Champlain during the Korean War. During his service, he was the recipient of a Good Conduct Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Medal, Navy Occupation (European Clasp), Korean PUC and the National Defense Service Medal. After his military service, he pursued a career as a high school physics teacher in Clearwater, Fla., and later as a physicist at the Naval Underwater Sound Center in New London.

Reserved yet quick-witted, Tony was intelligent and known as a deep thinker. He was kind and caring without being overtly demonstrative. While he was financially sound and a steady provider for his family, he supplied more than material goods — he gifted his children with a sense of dedication, a persistent drive and a strong work ethic. In his free time, Tony was a devoted fan of the N.Y. Yankees, N.Y. Jets, and N.Y. Knicks. He truly loved baseball, and while playing in his younger years as a catcher, he later coached Little League baseball for several years. He enjoyed wrenching on cars, gardening, reading, and learning new things. Tony even taught himself how to build a house, completing “the lot” in 2018.

He is survived by his daughter Karen Coutinho; son-in-law Peter Coutinho; granddaughter Isabel Coutinho; son Anthony J. Corcella; Diane Carr; ex-wife Patricia Corcella; sister Connie Campisi; brother-in-law Ben Campisi; sister Rae Clahane; brother-in-law George Clahane; and numerous nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Tony was preceded in death by his father and mother; sister Angie Scolaro; brother-in-law Ronnie Scolaro; brother Vito Corcell; and sister-in-law Lucy Corcella.

A Celebration of Life will be held June 8 to honor Tony’s memory. The family requests neither flowers nor any charitable donations in his memory.