Deacon Andrew "Andy" J. Anthony, 78, of Tariffville section of Simsbury,Conn., husband for 55 years to Zim Anthony, died peacefully Thursday, (July 21, 2005) at his home. Born in Brooklyn, NY, son of Andrew and Winifred (Bonner) Anthony, he grew up in Queens Village, NY, moving to Tariffville in 1956. Andy served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and joined Combustion Engineering in the Naval Reactor Division. His career at Combustion Engineering spanned 40 years in nuclear power, where he retired as Senior Principle Consulting Engineer in 1993. He held over 50 patents. He trained for the deaconate for 3 1/2 years at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn. and was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church in 1981. Andy served 21 years as deacon of St. Bernard's Church, retiring in 2002. In addition to his assigned deaconate duties which included preaching, preparation for and administration of the sacraments of baptism and matrimony, he also participated in the R.C.I.A. program, was a leader in the Small Christian Communities, and took Holy Communion to shut-ins and visited the sick and dying. Andy volunteered at the Holy Innocence House in Bloomfield and the House of Bread in Hartford. His illness brought him to the Advanced Prostate Cancer Support Group at the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center where he was recently recognized by the group for his great courage and inspiration to all. We will always be grateful for the time and effort he put into his homilies and preaching. They were most heartfelt, personal, and inspirational which displayed his dedication to the Lord. His commitment of unconditional love and devotion as a husband, father and friend will forever be in our memories. Besides his wife, he leaves two sons and , Timothy, John; two daughters, Mary Anthony, Karen Bartone; six grandsons, Tyler M. Anthony, Curtis J. Anthony, Shawn A. Anthony, Andrew Cody Anthony, Jacob A. Anthony, and Connor J. Anthony. He also leaves a sister, Peggy Anderson, two brothers, Charles Anthony, and James Anthony, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and an uncle.