Anthony Joseph Pizza

Anthony Joseph Pizza, known to most as Tony, passed away on April 17, 2025, in Camarillo after a short illness. He was 84.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Tony grew up in nearby Elizabeth. After the unexpected death of his father, Tony became the “man of the house” at just 12 years old, helping to care for his four younger siblings. He graduated a year early from St. Benedict’s Preparatory School and later graduated from Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology). Moving to California, he served as an officer in the Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) of the U.S. Navy. His professional career spanned decades in engineering, including work at GE in Pittsfield, MA; Hughes in Fullerton, CA; and in radar systems at the Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station (NSMSES) in Port Hueneme, CA and SYS Technologies in Oxnard, CA.

Tony was a man of deep routines, sharp wit, and quiet devotion to the people and causes he loved. After caring for his beloved wife of 52 years, Rena, through her long illness and her passing in 2018, Tony continued to live independently -just as he had hoped - right up to the very end.

Those who knew him will remember the small, unforgettable details that made him so uniquely Tony: in his engineering days, his short-sleeved button- down shirts (always with a pocket protector and a tiny pencil behind his ear); his garage workshop filled with the scent of pipe tobacco and a soldering iron, where he once built the family TV by hand in the 1970s. He had a lifelong fascination with technology and could fix absolutely anything - though not always in the most aesthetic way. His home is a museum of

clever contraptions cobbled together from tin cans, vitamin bottles, and other household odds and ends, all engineered to solve practical problems with scrappy brilliance.

He had a deep, quiet thoughtfulness - baking birthday cakes for family and friends, carrying around newspaper clippings to share, never passing up a chance to connect. Always after a good value, he was a fanatical evangelist for Aldi cookies. As a grandfather, he delighted in slipping his grandkids

lollipops, gleefully breaking whatever rules he’d once tried to enforce as a

young father. And oh, how grandparenthood softened him. The same man who used to bark “What?!” into the phone if it dared ring during dinner became the affable guy striking up conversations with strangers at the grocery store - especially if they had a toddler in tow. Any excuse to talk about his grandkids. He was endlessly proud.

He found joy in life’s simple rhythms: daily McDonald’s coffee “conferences” with friends, weekly lunch gatherings, after-church socializing, and supporting others through his work with the bereavement ministry at Padre Serra Parish. He served as the president of the local chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) for 25 years and was an active member in numerous computer clubs and community groups. In recent years, Tony’s world expanded through his relationship with Michelle Hoffman, who brought dancing, live music and sparkle to his life. Tony is survived by his children, Matthew (Shamala) of Camarillo and Liz Philips of San Diego; grandchildren Mark Pizza, Jacqueline Pizza, Lilly Pizza, and Vincent Pizza, children of Matt and Shamala; and Greyson Philips and

Sutton Philips, children of Liz; along with his sisters Arlene Lowe of Easton, PA, and Mary Lou Brennan of Trinity, FL; brother Peter Pizza (Susan) of Union, NJ; and many extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rena, and his brother, Raymond Pizza of Alamosa, CO.

A celebration of Tony’s life will be held on Saturday, May 24 at 12 p.m. at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, CA with a reception immediately afterward.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse & Hospice at www.lmvna.org.