Grandpa, I will forever remember running around your house as a little girl and being stopped every time I approached your chair.  Grandpa, I will forever remember getting my cheeks pinched every time we would say good-bye.  Grandpa, I will forever remember getting my hand slapped on the table whenever I went to grab something I probably shouldn't have.  Grandpa, I will forever remember playing Shanghai Rummy and being beaten by you because some how I was convinced to sit after you at the table. But most of all Grandpa I will forever remember your smile because it was only then when I knew that everything else in the world didn't matter.  Save a spot at the card table for me, Grandpa! I love you!!

Grandpa you were the world to me and I will love you always...I miss you so much already. I'm glad the kids got to see you one last time and we will make sure the head chair at the holiday table remains empty as you will be missed.  Love Your Granddaughter Lisa Freni-Dalman

My Great Uncle Tony. You were the grandfather I never had the opportunity to have. You have watched me grow since I was 2 years old and I am forever greatful you were able to meet my very own son Emilio. I have so many memories of you. And I am so greatful to have had such a wonderful person in my life. I'll never forget evey time you would see me you would tell me how you were going to put a brick on my head so I'd stop growing so fast. Or the times we sat at the kitchen tables playing cards or making pastires or italian sausages. Then we would do our hand war, stacking our hands one on top of another, going faster and faster until finally your large warm hands would cover mine and you'd give me a smerk as if saying "Ha, I win again."  
Oh, the memories I have of you are endless. I especially love the time I interviewed you about being the KP in WWII. I was so excited to share that paper with my class. I could go on for days and days about the times we shared.
I celebrate this time for you as you lived an amazing life with amazing family. Rest in Peace my Great Uncle Tony. I love you.

My Great Uncle Tony. You were the grandfather I never had the opportunity to have. You watched me grow. You were here every birthday, Christmas, event to make pastries or italian sausage. I remember you always telling me you were going to put a brick on my head so I'd stop growing so fast. We would stack our hands one on top of eachother and go faster and faster until finally your large warm hands covered mine and you'd give me a funny smerk as if saying "Ha, I win again." Oh, so many memories I have with you. Even the time when I was interviewing you about being the KP in the war; I was so proud to share that report with my class. 
I just want you to know you mean the world to me and you are thought about everyday. I cherish the memories I have of my Great Uncle Tony. I love you.

Although I only met Grandpa once, he was a sweet and gentle hearted man that will be greatly missed by many.  My thoughts and prayers go out to my extended family... The Freni's.
Love always,
Paulette Logan and Family

There will be an empty chair at the holiday table this year, but it will be filled with loving memories. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

It is with very fond memories, from so many years ago, that I recall Uncle Tony and family in Lexington,  MA.  I was a mere child but I have very vivid memories of spending holidays with Uncle Tony, Aunt Jay, my mom (Jennie's sister), dad, and cousins. There were cousins, and toys, and Christmas trees that were bigger than life to me.  But, in the midst of all that, there was order to the chaos when Uncle Tony called us all to dinner.  

Although many years and miles have separated us and we are grandparents in our own right from those Lexington days, the memories burn bright of a tall uncle who had a heart bigger than his physical stature.  What I recall was a very strong but gentle man who could both "move mountains" as well as comfort the stings and bruises of a fallen child.

As the days and weeks pass and, as life returns to normalcy, may Uncle Tony's family continue to be comforted by the love, support, and memories of family and friends.  May your hearts be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celeberate a life well lived.

There will be an empty chair at the Freni holiday table this year, but I'm confident it will be filled with loving memories of an exceptional man with a heart of gold.

Certainly, we will all mourn his passing, but may my Aunt and cousins and their respective families take solace in a life well-spent and celebrate his wonderful legacy, which is each and every one of you.

My earliest memories of Uncle Tony (my Great Uncle actually) must have been when I was ~6 or 7.  Dad (Bob Sr) flew us out to CA for a visit (yes, it was a while ago).  I still remember my first impression of this big, strong person, who was just a little bit intimidating... until you got to know him and discovered his heart of a saint.  

It was Uncle Tony who showed me first hand that citrus fruit could grow on trees in the back yard (this was a new first hand experience for a kid from New England).  He also had the patience to introduce me to the game of pool, at great risk to the table felt.  Of course, he and Aunt Jay were much more involved in my earlier life when we were living in CA, however, that is beyond my recall.

Years later we visited again in OR for Thanksgiving.  It was Uncle Tony that had the patience to teach a typically distant young adult how to wrap a turkey in bacon, dress a carving knife with a steel and carve a turkey.  I think of him every Thanksgiving when I reach for the carving knife.  He showed me patience and a way to connect with kids/young adults, transcending generations that I use today with my own nieces and nephews.

I remember when I joined the Knights of Columbus and how he helped me attain some data I needed from as far away as the west coast.  You fellow Knights can probably figure out what I mean.  He got both myself and my dad pretty good on that one, can I still hear him chuckling warmly? yes, I believe I can.

To Aunt Jay and family, I offer you my most sincere condolences during this time of grief.  To my Great Uncle Tony, I thank you for the memories and valuable lessons you've provided me.  Although we lived quite far apart and communicated infrequently, you were still able to make an enormous impact on me.  I now have my own great niece, and I hope someday she looks to me with the admiration with which I think of you.  Rest in peace knowing you will be missed.  Love, your great nephew,  Bob Amico.

OBITUARY

Anthony Andrew Freni

April 13, 1919 – November 14, 2010

Young's Funeral Home

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