Anthony Louis Bartolini

For over 65 wonderful years he was a devoted and loving husband to his high school sweetheart Angela Judith Topazio (Judy).

Born to an Italian immigrant family and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, he was the youngest of 5 and the only sibling born in the US. Friends and family lovingly referred to him by many names such as Nino, Tony or Bart.

Tony graduated from Sacred Heart High School and then went into the seminary. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Bernard and St. Thomas Seminaries and continued with postgraduate studies at Catholic University in Washington DC.

In 1955, Tony decided to leave the seminary to pursue a career in law. He and Judy moved to Pennsylvania to attend the newly founded Villanova University School of Law. Tony earned his JD in 1958 as a member of the third graduating class from the new law school. He maintained close ties with the University and later in his career he spent time as an Adjunct Professor at Villanova Law School. He was also instrumental in creating the Villanova Law School LLM Tax program.

In 1958, Tony joined the Philadelphia law firm of Dechert, Price and Rhodes where he practiced law for 37 years. His specialty was corporate tax law. Being fluent in many languages, Tony was a natural fit in Dechert’s growing international taxation division. He traveled throughout Europe and even lived with his family for a time in Brazil and Italy. Later in his career, Tony was head of their tax department and briefly served as managing partner.

When Tony retired from Dechert, he found a home working with Judy in the family needlepoint business, Fireside Stitchery, in Malvern PA. It didn’t take long before he became an expert in all things ‘needlework’ related. He was still working at Fireside in January 2023.

There were so many facets of Tony’s life. He would discover some interesting new thing, master it and then look for the next great thing. He was a student of horticulture, growing and selling orchids, and trying to turn the backyard into Longwood Gardens. He was an avid wine collector and experimented with the creation of homemade spirits like Limoncello and Grappa. Tony also collected Illuminated Manuscripts. He particularly loved the ones depicting Gregorian chants that he had learned in the seminary. Chess was his board game of choice. He played postal and online chess with people from all over the world and earned a national ranking of over 1900. Tony enjoyed listening to all kinds of music, but opera, Italian singers, and classical music were his favorites. He also enjoyed setting up and maintaining tropical fish tanks in his home. But of all his hobbies, the one he most enjoyed was woodworking. He learned this skill from his older brother Lino who learned the cabinet making trade in Italy. Tony built quite a workshop in the family basement. He made all kinds of furniture, turned bowls and other items on a lathe, made needlepoint accessories and helped his children with their occasional wood-related science projects.

Tony was a captivating storyteller and had a repertoire of memorized poetry and sayings that he could call upon at just the right moment. Famous for his quick wit, always ready with the perfect anecdote, joke or sage words, he filled every room with laughter and joy.

If you asked what he was most proud of he would tell you without hesitation that it is his family: Judy (who he called “the wind beneath my wings”) and their three children.

He left a giant footprint on this earth and will be dearly missed.

In addition to his wife Judy, Tony leaves behind his three children and their spouses: Maria (Todd) DeSimone, David (Adrienne) Bartolini, and Rachel (Matt) Tomlin, plus six grandchildren: Isabel, Matthew, Nino, Chase, Isa and Kira.

Tony will be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Wayne, Pa. There will be a private family Mass of Christian burial.

A Celebration of Tony’s life will be held on May 20, 2023 at Alleva Funeral Home, Inc. beginning at 11 AM with a visitation and a luncheon to follow from 12:00PM to 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Tony’s memory to

Brandywine Valley SPCA - https://bvspca.org/

1212 Phoenixville Pike

West Chester, Pa 19380