Community Celebrates Longest Living Firefighter’s 102nd Birthday And He’s Been Married To His Wife For 79 Years

Mar 13, 2023 by apost team

Retired firefighter Anthony Louis Aquaro, the oldest living firefighter in the five boroughs of New York, was honored with a grand birthday celebration when he turned 102 on Feb. 27, 2023. He and his wife, Gloria Aquaro, who will be 100 in July 2023, have been together for 79 years. They are believed to be the longest-married couple living in Staten Island.

Born in Brooklyn in 1921, Anthony later fell in love at first sight with Gloria in high school in the 1930s, where he was part of the baseball team. He and Gloria started dating when he asked her for a kiss after they finally won a match after many losses. 

He then joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and had to be away from the love of his life for six months. When he briefly returned, the two decided to marry on Feb. 8, 1944, when Gloria was 20 and Anthony was 22.

After getting married, Anthony and Gloria lived in an apartment in an American-Italian community that eventually became the house of one of their grandkids in later years. He had a lot of odd jobs before finally joining the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) in 1953.

Anthony was assigned as a firefighter for Engine 69 in Brooklyn. He was one of the first people to cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City when it was completed and opened in 1964. On the other hand, Gloria worked as a secretary for the Music Performance Trust Fund in Manhattan.

By 1965, the couple relocated to Staten Island on the South Shore of the borough with their two children, Anthony Jr. and Kathleen. They lived in a duplex shared with Gloria's sister and brother-in-law, Eleanor and Arthur McNamee, and their kids.

Decades of blissful years together also blessed Anthony and Gloria with four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Anthony has always considered his family as his wealth. On his 102nd birthday, his family was complete for the first time in a long time when Kathleen and her family, along with her grandkids, flew all the way from Florida to Staten Island.

More than 200 family members, friends, members of the FDNY, veterans of the war, and some local officials attended Anthony's 102nd birthday party held at the Engine Company 168, EMS Station 23 in Staten Island. Anthony Jr. said that the FDNY was also like a family for his father and he credited Linda Thompson, the FDNY chief, for making sure that the grand event was going to be memorable. 

The younger Anthony also said that his father would have gone professional as a baseball player if the war didn't happen. Anthony Sr. has been a fan of the Yankees since he was 10 years old and idolized Lou Gehrig. However, serving in the war made him realize his calling to become a fireman.

"He always puts people ahead of himself. I guess that’s why he was a fireman, because he served the public and that’s what he enjoyed to do," Anthony Jr. said. 

When asked about the secret to their long-lasting marriage, Anthony said in 2019, when he celebrated 75 years with Gloria, that he does not argue with his wife. 

"In a marriage, you can't be a big boss," the firefighter said. "There are two people involved and you have to respect each other's wishes." 

apost.com

Isn't it wonderful that a lot of people celebrated Anthony Louis Aquaro's 102nd birthday? What can you say about this story? Pass it along to someone who might need inspiration!