Angelo J. Liberatore

Angelo J. Liberatore, age 95, November 28, 2021. dear husband of the late Barbara W. (nee Wirtner) ; devoted father to David, Paul, Carol and the late Mark Liberatore; beloved grandfather of Dina, Colton, Reed, Nyle and Trey Liberatore,Tanya and Jasmin Soriano; great-grandfather of four. great great grandfather of 5.; brother of Salvatore (Sandy Sagnibene), Enrico (Lucille) and the late Dominic (late Dolores), late Fabiana (late Charles) Randazzo, late Joseph (Sonia) Liberatore. Family present Thursday from 3-7 PM at the DENGLER, ROBERTS, PERNA FUNERAL HOME, 8630 Transit Rd., East Amherst (one mile north of Maple Rd.), where funeral services will be held Friday at 11am. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Angelo's memory may be made to Hospice Buffalo Inc., 225 Como Park Blvd., Cheektowaga, New York 14227. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DenglerRobertsPernaEastAmherst.com

Angelo was born on the East side of Buffalo and lived in the WNY area for the vast majority of the 95 years of his life. He graduated from Seneca vocational high school and enlisted in the Army/Air Force towards the end of the war. He was assigned to a medical clinic in Japan as a part of his military service and drove an ambulance among other duties, but his job was technically a gunner, ironically of the B-24 Liberator. His service in Japan started what was to become a very long and successful medical career involving the sale of oxygen, medical supplies, and significantly oxygen concentrators.

He worked at a variety of places, from AirSep, John Bunn, Xorbox, OMNICARE, Greene and Kellogg + NCG to Seamless Rubber. His amazing personality, honestly, wit and perseverance made him customer after customer and friend after friend. The first thing he did when he started to work for Seamless Rubber was bring home rubber gloves that he blew up like balloons for us to play with. We joked that during our annual trips to Crystal Beach Amusement Park in Canada that he had made friends with someone while we rode the Comet and could see him talking to strangers on the hill up to the first drop!

In 1950 he was involved in an accident at Buffalo General Hospital where while demonstrating inhalation therapy to a patient in an oxygen tent and with a tank, something foreign got into the valve and caused pressure that hit his left hand where his finger was almost taken off. He calmly walked himself to the emergency room at the General where they attempted to reattach it but proved unsuccessful. Thus started a lot of pranks on people, most notably the many salespeople he mentored. To break the ice with these new reps he sometimes slammed the middle finger of his glove in the car door and then said help, only to laugh when they realized what was going on!

He met and married Barbara Liberatore (Wirtner) while she was a nurse and he worked in inhalation therapy at Deaconess Hospital. Barbara was a nurse anesthetist, and they were married in 1951. He was close with the staff at all the hospitals where he worked. He even watched the births of all four of his children, something that was rarely done in the 1950’s.

He sat on the sidelines or Buffalo Bills home games from 1965 until 2005 and gave oxygen to the Bills and opposing team. It was a service he and his company provided for free, even after it became a requirement at NFL games. We all were able to assist and what a thrill that was.

Joe Priest (his boss and part owner of the Airsep Corporation) had this to say about Angelo: “Ange transcended so many milestones in the development of home oxygen. Starting in the late 1940s and up and through the early 2000s, he single handedly was the most influential person in educating the commercial world in how oxygen therapy could be delivered at home. Whether it was in Europe, particularly France, Spain and Germany, or Asia, in particular Japan, where they credited him with bringing access to so many Japanese suffering at home from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). How poignant too in that Japan was where Ange was stationed with the Air Force after World War II. On a personal side, when AirSep bought John Bunn/Xorbox in 1990 the single greatest "asset" we got in the deal was Ange. The consummate educator. My life was so much richer and so much better in having known Ange.”

The company went on to develop a product that would allow someone requiring oxygen to move about more freely, with a product that weighed less than six pounds, further helping those in need of oxygen to lead a more ‘normal’ and fulfilling life. The company then decided to work with the FAA to see if this could be something that would be approved to allow passengers to travel cross country. Prior to that, people could not fly that far, due to the limitation of larger tanks that provided enough air to go cross country. He met with and worked with the FAA in Washington, to get this approved.

In 1998, The WNY International Trade Council, inc. honored Angelo Liberatore, vice president of international medical sales for Airsep Corp. in Amherst, NY. He received the Thomas Hart Kendig Award for Achievement in International Trade. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated vision, leadership, and commitment in promoting international trade in Western New York and helped mentor others on exporting via Buffalo International Trade Committee.

He loved his job so much, that he did not retire until he was 80 years old and kept friendships with some of the people that he helped to create distributorships all over the world, to this day. In the process, he visited 50+ countries.

He led such a full life, always close to his family and friends. He was also the head usher of Nativity of the Blessed Mary RC Church in Clarence for many years and collected for Catholic Charities. He volunteered for years with the Sisters of Saint Joseph nuns, at the St Joseph’s Feast table, Oktoberfest, was a member of the mall walkers and the Clarence Senior Center. Both my mother and father volunteered their time to many worthy causes. He moved from Clarence to Canterbury Woods in 2013 where he was often called the mayor of Canterbury Woods, oxygen, and flashlight man. Every time a new resident would move in, he would gift them a mini flashlight and counseled residents requiring oxygen on what their options were.

His son David, said, “that despite a very successful sales career and his worldwide travels, our father never changed. He lived far from a lavish lifestyle. He always had a smile on his face and a pleasant greeting for everyone, be it a member of the housekeeping staff, one of the employees who worked in the production factory, the owner of the company or the people (who he didn’t even know) he was standing in line with at the grocery store. Angelo remained the honest, hard-working, religious, generous person he always was. His priorities continued to be his family, friends, good food (especially desserts), and the Buffalo Bills”.

Joe Priest (his boss and part owner of the Airsep Corporation) perhaps expressed it best and succinctly when celebrating our dad’s retirement: “With deep admiration, respect, and pride in all that you have accomplished in bringing oxygen to the world”.

He will truly be missed. We anticipate that he will is dancing in heaven, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was playing his harmonica for everyone too. ♥

The party won’t be the same without him.

Angelo was pre deceased by his wife Barbara and son Mark. Survivors include his daughter Carol Liberatore and two sons Paul and David Liberatore.

Funeral Services will be held Friday Dec. 3rd, 11 am at the Dengler Roberts Perna Funeral Home 8630 Transit Rd., East Amherst. Entombment will follow at Elmlawn Cemetery with Military Honors.