Obituary of Anthony L. Formica

Anthony L. Formica , 78 of Oldwick died at home surrounded by his family on Sept 17, 2017. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect St., South Orange on Friday, Sept 22nd at 10:30 AM. Interment Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Red Bank. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home 153 South Orange Ave, South Orange on Thursday, 2-4 & 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Kessler Foundation 120 Eagle Rock Avenue suit 100 East Hanover, NJ 07936 or www.kesslerfoundation.org. For more information or to send condolences please visit prestonfuneralhome.net. Born on Staten Island, Anthony lived in Maplewood before moving to Oldwick 23 years ago. Anthony received his undergraduate degree from Staten Island College and earned his Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from NYU. In his early years he was an auditor for the accounting firm Touche Ross and between 1970-73 he became the youngest controller in New York City. In 1974 Anthony was offered an administrative position at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, located in West Orange, NJ and retired 25 years later as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In 1992/93 and again in 1994/95 Mr. Formica was named in the “Who’s Who” in Healthcare registry of Global Business Leaders. He was appointed by the Reagan Administration to the “Presidents Commission for the Handicapped” and served on the Harvard Healthcare Alliance, a nationally known think-tank for health care issues. During his time at Kessler, Mr. Formica played a major role in the growth and management of a 16 bed hospital which under his tenture, grew to a 322 bed inpatient hospital with campuses in East Orange, Saddle Brook and Chester making it one of the largest and most recognized rehabilitation hospitals in the nation and throughout the world. In addition to serving as a trustee on many local non-profits, Mr. Formica served on Our Lady of Sorrows Caritas Board in South Orange, on the Board of Health for Tewksbury Township for over a decade and served with the New York National Guard Army Reserves. Anthony was predeceased by his parents, Arturo and Maria Formica and survived by his wife of 51 years, Diane DiSalvo Formica, daughter Tara Formica Kelly, son-in law Matthew G. Kelly, son Christopher and wife Brooke and five grandchildren, Madeline, Elizabeth and Matthew P. Kelly, Ryan and Victoria Formica.