Anthony Albert Morano

Anthony Albert Morano

October 10, 1933 - March 12, 2019 (age 85)

Anthony Albert Morano, 85, of Sylvania, Ohio, passed away surrounded by his family on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at the Promedica Ebeid Hospice Residence on the campus of Flower Hospital. He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut on October 10, 1933 to Albert and Millicent Morano (née Greco). While growing up, his family lived in various neighborhoods in both Greenwich and New York City, some of the time with his grandmother, who spoke only Italian. At age 16, he spent a month in St-Etienne, France, where he cycled around the region and solidified an interest in language study. He would spend another three months in France when he was 19, and was essentially fluent in French by the end of this experience. He graduated from Amherst College in 1955 with a French major and an Italian minor. After college, he worked as a high school English teacher in Greenwich. He then served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Texas and Ohio. Anthony graduated from Fordham Law School in 1961 and initially practiced law in the state of Connecticut. In 1963, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Toledo College of Law, where he taught courses in various subjects including evidence, trusts and estates, torts, contracts, and trial practice. He won the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1970, the first from the College of Law to do so, and again in 1974. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1993, and was known affectionately by the students as "Tony Mo.”

Anthony was an avid gardener, leaving brown paper bags full of garden vegetables on the front steps of his neighbors and at food banks around the area. There was a time when he would grow 12 different varieties of corn alone, in addition to tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, and zucchini. He belonged to a conservation club for many years, and taught his children how to shoot a gun at a target. Anthony also loved to ride motorcycles, sometimes to the chagrin of his dear mother, especially the times he rode all the way from Toledo to Connecticut for a visit. He was a voracious reader, keeping a list of books read in the years after his retirement. It topped 1000 and kept right on going, including the entire encyclopedia from start to finish. Later in life, he kept his mind sharp by doing challenging crossword puzzles, the challenge to his family being to find puzzles with both large enough print and stimulating enough material.

He was known by all for his love of good food, good music, and a good drink. A typical vinyl session included his favorite opera Cavalleria Rusticana, the Bossa Nova sound of Stan Getz and João Gilberto, and the unmistakable voice of Frank Sinatra. When he wasn’t grilling a massive steak with a glass of Chianti or a martini (or both), nothing made him happier than “The Big” New York strip at Mancy’s Steakhouse. Anthony was a joy to all those around him, thanks to his quick wit and memorable sense of humor. His list of “one-liners” could fill this entire page. If you knew him, you could probably still recite one of them to this day.

Anthony’s generosity and dedication to his family were appreciated by all. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years Marlene Joan Morano (née Antonini), his sons Mark (Tracy) and Jason (Carla), his daughter Heather (Rod), and his grandchildren James, Alyssa (Brian), Michael, Zachary, Anne-Marie, and Audrey. Anthony was preceded in death by his beloved sister Clare Morano Vuono in 1985, and also by his father- and mother-in-law Albert and Anne Antonini, as well as his brother- and sister-in-law Richard and Sylvia Antonini.  We have honored Anthony's memory with a private service for immediate family at Resurrection Cemetery, 5725 Hill Avenue in Toledo, where he was laid to rest.  

Those wishing to offer memorials are asked to consider, in lieu of flowers, the University of Toledo College of Law or the Promedica Ebeid Hospice Residence.

Reeb Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be offered to Anthony's family at: www.reebfuneralhome.com

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