On Monday, October 7, 2019, Anthony Joseph LaMonte, loving husband and father of two daughters, passed away at the age of 71. Tony was born on November 11, 1947 in the Bronx, New York City, New York. He was a wonderful artist and an alum of The High School for Art and Design, Parsons School of Art and New York University. Tony worked in advertising for over forty years, capping his career at BBDO in Manhattan, where he retired as an associate creative director and executive vice president. He married Madeline Wilson in 1984 and was a kind and loving father to his daughters Katherine, 32, and Lauren, 29.
Tony and his wife lived and raised their children in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY from 1992-2009 and then in Dobbs Ferry, NY from 2009-2013 on the campus of The Masters School, where Madeline worked, from 1997-2017 . They lived in City Island, the Bronx from 2013-2017. They relocated to Longmont, Colorado in 2017 to be near their children in retirement.
Tony was passionate about art from an early age and created a life where he could follow his creative path within the structure of the corporate world. He was an avid skier and cyclist, and he rode his last NYC Century in 2016 at the age of 68. Tony was known for his kindness and compassion, and his steady, grounded presence. He had a quick smile, an infectious laugh, and a wicked sense of humor.
Tony is survived by his wife Madeline, his daughters Katie and Lauren, his son-in-law Jalil, his brother Henry and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
A private service will be held for the family at The Natural Funeral in Lafayette, Colorado. A public memorial will take place at his home in Colorado in the coming months. Donations may be sent to Dreamyard, a non-profit organization that “collaborates with Bronx youth families and schools to build pathways to equity and opportunity through the arts”. (from their mission statement) https://www.dreamyard.com/donate
I only knew Tony for a short time but he left a mark on my life and I’m better for having known him.
Friendly and upbeat he always seemed to have a smile for everyone.
He left in his family a legacy to be proud of.
He’ll truly be missed.
Condolences to his family from me and Betty
Tony will always be a one and only. One word describes him
AMAZING : friend, partner, collaborator, laugh buddy, inventor, cake maker, co-conspirator of cockamamie ideas, artist, designer and one of the kindest, nicest people I ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with for over 40 years. We were even able to have fun when we lost our jobs together and turned that into a money maker venture called “Classified T-Shirts,” the first of which was “I’m Looking for a Job.”
Tony you have made my life so much more amazing than it could have ever been without you.
You will always be here with me!
Oh Tony, we will miss you!
We will hold your family in our hearts and share their sorrow.
But, we will also share their joy in having known you – your wit, your kindness, your genuine love of all things beautiful….
The world was a better place for having you in it.
Mahalo~
So sorry to hear of this but you know you now can be your sister mom and Dad May you rest I peace. Prays and condolences to the family.
Tony brought beauty and excitement to everything he did. Whether he was designing a poster, a cake or a dinner at home with his family, Tony brought so much interest and creativity to all. I loved when he covered my classes because I knew he would dive into the students work to help them do their best. He was kind and generous to everyone he knew and he had a wonderful New York sense of humor.
We will miss Tony a lot.
For the most part, Tony and I grew up together, cousins and only 5 months difference in age.
I always admired Tony for what he was able to accomplish both in his professional and family life.
I will miss him dearly, my heart goes out to Madelaine, Katie and Lauren.
Chuck & Kit
My dad and Tony collaborated on many projects together over the years. Like with quantum physics they were entangled, connected in creative spirit, drive (and drive-by greetings) passion for the art of making, and a collaborative connective spirit that never gives up. Their magic was, together. My dad would show me Tony’s masterful cakes and artwork and beam with both awe and admiration. My dad would glow ‘Isn’t Tony so talented?’ Yes his work was truly remarkable. Even more so, warm and loving and kind and and my dad loved him dearly.
Tony was a wonderful human being — quiet, kind and sensitive. I am so lucky to have known him. His company on several bike rides and on the NYC Century was wonderful and inspiring. He will truly be missed.
In sadness,
Ellen
I can still see Tony’s smiling face with his bike helmet on as he got ready for a ride as Madeline and I would get ready for a walk. His wit and kindness always shining through. I was particularly in awe of his creativity in everything he did particularly those awesome cakes!!!
He will surely be missed.
Lots of love to all of you,
Lynda
To Dear Madeline, girls and family, Although I knew Tony for only a brief time in Colorado, I felt an instant connection to both of you, so dear to my artists heart. I enjoyed discussing with Tony all his latest artistic ventures, as we both struggled through learning Adobe Muse to build our websites only to have the program pulled from the Adobe CC suite. Tony will be remembered as a kind, gentle “old school” artistic soul. He used his talents without bluster and or self importance, a mark of a true master, quietly confident in his skills. He will be sadly missed but fondly remembered. I have now moved to back to Australia South Australia and if anyone is heading down this way I have a guest room. Any friend of Tony’s is a friend of mine.
Om Mani Pade HUM!
Tony would call me up from time to time to ask me to help him with different projects and
for my opinion and was always a really nice guy to talk with. In the very beginning I called him Tony Wilson and he didn’t even
correct me. Madeline did !
An amazing creative talent. Claude Monet said of why he painted, “I paint as a bird sings.” And it was simply Tony’s nature to create. Tony was an irrepressible multi-talent who constantly invented and re-invented himself through his art and produced an amazing amount truly amazing “product” over the years. I worked with Tony at BBDO for 12 years and continued to collaborate with him after he retired and I had left BBDO. He was an amazing human being as well as talent — bursting with energy, encouraging of the work the work of others with a modicum of his talent (such as myself), a genuine mensch with a wonderful sense of humor that seemed to find a way into his art. It’s hard to overuse the word “amaze” when talking about Tony. I miss him dearly.