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Co-op City Times / January 16, 2021 (Continued from page 3)
for residents affected by the disturbances caused by contractors.” Lenya Garcia, Riverbay’s Contracts & Purchasing Manager, and Anatoliy Budnitskiy, Contract Specialist, both of the Procurement department, worked with Tony when he picked up administration of the Contracts department. Ms. Garcia said: “I worked under Anthony Rasulo for eight years in the Construction Trailers under contracts administration. He was a great man to work under, had a lot of knowledge in the construction industry. Tony expected everyone in the trailers to do their job but he would find time to talk to his staff about different things. I will miss our conversations on traveling. He traveled with his family and we would talk about the places we have been and would like to go. His presence will be missed.” Mr. Budnitskiy, who began his Riverbay career as a temp in the Contracts department, added: “There aren’t many like Tony. He was truly one of a kind and a person like no other. He always made people around him that much better. I can honestly say I am a better human being from knowing Tony and I owe a lot of where I am now at Riverbay to him.” Bernard Cylich, First Vice President of the Riverbay Board of Directors and longtime chair of the Construction Committee, also spoke highly of Tony. “My sincerest condolences to the Rasulo family on his untimely passing,” Mr. Cylich said. “During my years on the Board and especially as chairperson of the Construction Committee, I found Tony to be a fountain of knowledge and indispensable expertise regarding infinite number of construction issues that Riverbay faced almost daily. He will certainly be missed.” Rick Schmidt, Riverbay’s Technical director, met Tony in the 1990’s even before Rick began working for Riverbay Corporation. At the time, he was employed by Community Home Entertainment (CHE), Co-op City’s then-cable provider. “Tony was the cornerstone of the Construction department. When Co-op City’s RicWil project was under construction and I was then at CHE, I coordinated with Tony and the construction company that was doing work here so they wouldn’t knock out TV service and there were times initially when they did, but once Tony got involved and laid the law down, the contractors had to call me first before they did anything. When I came to work for Riverbay, we collaborated on several projects, including installation of the emergency call boxes throughout the development and lobby renovations. “Tony was always very approachable, he was a funny guy and a pleasure to work with. If he really liked you, he broke your chops. Overall, he got along with everybody. He was very even handed. He was a good sounding board. I’ve missed his presence this past year with the COVID stay-at-home order, and now his passing creates a void that will not soon be filled. He was a great guy to work with.” “Riverbay has lost their Godfather,” said Safety Director Anthony Barzelatto. “Tony was a dedicated, hard working staff member who was the go-to guy for all Riverbay concerns and problems. Tony’s knowledge of Riverbay was remarkable and his loss will be felt at Riverbay for years to come.” Mr. Barzelatto said on a more personal note, he had the honor of calling Tony his good friend. From the first day he met Tony, when he began working at Riverbay in 2017, the two hit it off. “We had many things in common such as us both being Anthonys, both Italian and very proud of our heritage, we both adore our families and truly enjoy food and the Jersey Shore. Guy Frieri from the show ‘Diners, Drive-in and Dives’ should have had Tony as his fill-in because Tony had such a love of food and knew all the quaint back room restaurants that serve outrageous foods, especially Italian and desserts,” he said. “The one item I will live with and think about every day is whenever Tony and I would meet up or talk on the phone, he would always end by saying, ‘Tony, you need to slow down and not work as hard as you do. You need to stay safe and healthy’. Even as Tony was struggling with his cancer, he would always be more concerned about me than himself. “I will miss my good friend every day but now I know that when I hear thunder outside, it will tell me that Tony is up in heaven building some project that the Lord wants done. God bless Tony and the entire Rasulo family and friends. Rest in peace, my good friend.” John Lowe, Riverbay’s Risk Management director, also has strong recollections of his friend’s expertise and dedication to the corporation and community. “I first met Tony when he came to Risk Management’s office to meet with a Riverbay attorney to prepare for a deposition for a case. Tony knew every sidewalk on the Riverbay campus and gave the right answers to plaintiff’s attorney. His contributions steered many cases in favor of Riverbay. “When the Risk Management and Safety offices moved to the Construction Trailers while our offices in the Bartow Center were being renovated, we got to know each other better and became fast friends. He and I had the same sense of humor and teased each other all the time. I enjoyed hearing all of his construction war stories including working on the original Twin Towers in lower Manhattan. We discussed the history of Co-op City and all the improvements done over the years. He was very modest about his contributions, but I know he took great pride coordinating the installation of the new Tindel windows in all the buildings. In fact, he was passionate about each and every construction project he worked on.
“Tony wanted nothing but the best for Co-op City and never accepted mediocrity. He thought of the campus as his own backyard. I will miss his early morning jokes, his whimsical smile and, most of all, his friendship. Riverbay Corporation has lost an icon who can never be replaced.” Mark Warren, Riverbay’s Assistant General Manager of Construction, said: “As a relatively recent hire to the Riverbay Corporation (compared to many of my other colleagues), I grew to appreciate most, the depth of historic knowledge Anthony would openly share with his colleagues. A sage of the construction field, Anthony willingly dedicated his tenure at Riverbay to sustaining the infrastructure of Co-op City’s 320 acres, 35 residential buildings, 7 clusters of townhouses, approximately half a million square feet of commercial space which stand as his legacy. It was always clear that second to his dedication to family, the Riverbay Corporation and Co-op City was Tony’s ‘life blood’. Anthony, R.I.P, with love and appreciation from all of us at the Construction department.” In addition to Mr. Warren, perhaps the two other people who worked closest with Tony on an every-day basis are his Contracts Administrator Deborah Hunter and Construction Lead Man Dominick Russo. “There is so much I can say about Tony,” said Ms. Hunter. “He was such a wonderful person to work for. Everyone in the office will miss his ready smile and helpful attitude around the department. He was always giving compliments, making us laugh or lending a helping hand to his staff. He made sure we knew we were appreciated and we are truly going to miss him.” Ms. Hunter recalled that every day when she walked in to the office, she’d say, “Good morning,” and Tony would ask, “What’s good about it?” and smile. “When he sat at his desk and put his glasses on, don’t bother him because he was focused on answering his emails or pounding that calculator checking numbers on a contract, or, sometimes, planning his next Vegas trip. When people came in and asked me if he was in a good or bad mood, he’d say, ‘What do you want?’ and laugh.” Ms. Hunter said Tony kept her laughing for the 18 years she worked with him. “I will especially miss him sitting behind me and calling me asking what are we eating for lunch … He was a holiday person and especially loved Christmas. Every September, right after Labor Day, he’d say let’s plan our Christmas luncheon. I’d say, ‘Tony, can we wait until November at least,’ and he’d say, ‘No, that’s too late’.” Deborah described Tony’s deep love for his family. “When his first grandchild was born, followed by the birth of the others, and when his kids were moving close to him, he was overjoyed...Tony was caring and giving all the time and did not let his illness affect his personality. He had a great knowledge of construction and I definitely learned a thing or two from him. He was not only my boss, but a father figure and a friend. Heaven has welcomed a true angel.” Mr. Russo stated: “Anthony ‘Tony Tone’ Rasulo, the boss of bosses, as I would call him. Having worked for Tony for just over 13 years as his lead man, confidante and friend, we developed a special relationship. We worked together on every project that came our way in the Construction department. I had the pleasure to work under, as well as alongside him, as we sealed terraces as per NYC DOB for Local Law 11, removed old concrete and installed new pavers in Section 5, GFCI and Smoke Detector program, down to cleaning out the old file room in our trailers. There was no job too big or small for Tony, and he always got it done. Although being much younger and only a laborer, Tony never made me feel that way. He saw me as a knowledgeable young man, not only to carry out my daily duties, but he also asked me for my outlook, opinions and ideas regarding work issues. Tony was very down to earth like that; and would never tell someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. He was always out in the field, and many of those times alongside his in-house crew laborers. It was normal to see Tony on the jobsite cleaning, sweeping, yelling and joking with us all, not only as the director of the Construction department but a co-worker and a friend. He knew how to keep the perfect balance of love and fear, earning the respect of others through his hard work and strong leadership. These characteristics made our small department of skilled tradesmen disciplined, organized and effective. Aside from being a strong leader and director of Construction, he was a great role model and friend. Anyone could walk into his office to chat with him about any subject, at any given time, and walk out with a smile or a chuckle. “A man of Tony’s caliber never dies, but lives forever,” declared Mr. Russo. “He leaves us with great memories in the field, tricks of the trade and, most of all, the strength to lead and push forward, tackling whatever comes our way; whether it’s construction or everyday life. He will forever be remembered and missed. It was the greatest pleasure and I’m deeply grateful for having been his go-to guy these last 13 some years. Thanks, Tony, for everything.” The late Anthony Rasulo Sr. is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Linda; his five wonderful children whom he loved dearly, Erica and Scott Orofino of Mahopac, NY; Lisa and Christopher “Rudy” Giuliani of Mahopac, NY; Christina and Matthew Kroell of Hopewell Junction, NY; Stephen and Lillian Rasulo of Mahopac, NY and Anthony and his fiancé, Nicole, of Mahopac, NY. He is also survived by his nine grandchildren who he adored: Isabella, Cole, Luca, Leah, Sophie, Anthony, Christopher, Vincent and Macie. The Rasulo family asks those who wish to honor Tony’s memory to make a donation to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude.