There is no gentle way to say this. Our beloved Tony Spampinato died
suddenly on Wednesday night, on the eve of the autumnal equinox. He
did not teach me how to be a nurse; he taught me why. He not only
loved those in his circle; he fought for every single one of us. I
cannot count the number of times we helped each other move, the
hours we spent riding bikes through Philly, or how many millions of
weekend plans we used to make to battle the “Sunday scaries”
together. He taught me most of what I know about dogs. ”Pura vida”
now means, everything in Costa Rica stays in Costa Rica.
Actually, my favorite memory of Tony is when I dislocated my
shoulder one day before the last quarter of nursing school was to
begin. He picked me up from the ER and drove me home. I was so
anxious and upset at the prospect of having to defer my graduation,
but Tony sat me down and helped me problem-solve until I was
convinced my life wasn’t over. He was so adept at comforting and
helping others, and had a seemingly endless supply of love to give.
Watching him interact with patients was one of the rarest joys I
have ever witnessed. I mourn the loss of my best friend, fellow
front-line nurse, fierce advocate, and ball of chaotic joy who has
been a grounding constant in my life for the last 15 years. -
thenonbinarynurse
Rest easy friend. I’ll remember the many times. We rode bikes
together, drank by the James River , helping run things at rocky,
marched down broad street on New Year’s Day . But most of all you
being you. An how you cared about all your friends. Long live Tony
Spectacular. - Michael Dailey
Tony was the kind of person who had a mixed scrapbook page in my
life. I hadn´t seen him in years before he passed, but he was one of
those people that was part of my high school and pre-adult memories.
I´m
thankful that we crossed paths in this butterfly life however happy,
strange, and complicted the circumstances.
I have sad, but mixed emotions about him and his passing. I have
great recollection and memory of his spirit. His mischief. His
biting wit. His critique of art and music. I´m a musician; not many
ppl who Im close will necessarily take the time to give me honest
feedback about my work, but he was rare like that. He was honest to
a fault sometimes-If he liked something, he said so. If he
didn´t...he said so! He was different.
I know he wasn´t perfect. And different ppl will feel different ways
about him. I can only say how I feel. I don´t know if I can even
describe exactly what he meant to me.
But I´m glad that he was here to mean something to me.Thank you, my
complicated friend. I will miss and remember you. - Rych Anderson
Antonio Michael "Tony" Spampinato,45
1976 - 2022
DOVER - With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our son Tony.
Tony was a caring son to his parents, Phil and Connie, a loving
brother to his brothers and sisters-in-law, Rocco, Jesse, Amy and
Ashley, and a favored uncle to his nieces and nephews Gio, Vianna,
Roman, Lucia and Scarlett. He was beloved by dozens of aunts, uncles
and cousins.
Tony became a nurse because he truly enjoyed helping people. He
gravitated toward jobs where he could make a difference in people's
lives. On his last days, he was excited about what lay ahead. He was
painting his new condo, working on a project with his dad and was
upbeat about a new job interview. He spoke excitedly about the
concert he was going to with the love of his life, Mary, and their
plans to visit friends in Philadelphia. He was planning a Halloween
Party for the whole family.
A light has gone out of our lives. Tony was a joy to be around. He
truly cared about others and had a particular level of caring for
family. We think – we hope - that we will be sustained by the
happiness Tony found in life in his last days. Private family
services are being planned.
