MUCH-LOVED MEN’S SALES EXEC TONY MAISTO HAS DIED
MR magazine is saddened to report the unexpected passing of Tony Maisto, who was killed in a car accident last Friday on I-95 on his way home from a road trip to Washington, DC. He was 64.
Tony was a much-loved sales exec in the menswear industry who was adored and respected by all. Friends describe him as warm, generous, personable, charming, always smiling: a great man with a passion for life that was clearly contagious.
Born in Naples Italy, Tony was raised in Palisades Park, NJ and lived in West Long Branch since 1999. His menswear resume includes top clothing makers Hickey Freeman, Greif, and GFT as well as luxury brands like Italo Ferretti, Paolo Vitale and Balfour Canada. A sales agent for more than 40 years, Tony loved fashion, food, movies, cars, and fixing things. He also loved the outdoors and working on his koi pond, but he delighted most in his family.
Lucky Nahum worked with Tony over the years, shared many meals with him (“God knows how much we both loved food!”) and considered him a dear friend. “Our industry has lost one of the hardest working, most honest, most knowledgeable persons in the men’s business. He died doing what he did best: selling the most beautiful garments on earth. He now joins his wife Maria who passed away not long ago. They were two peas in a pod. He leaves behind wonderful children and grandchildren who put a sparkle in his eyes and made him incredibly proud. My words are drowned in my tears. I have lost a piece of me.”
Writes Charles Patterson, “Ant-knee you ___– you left me! Now who am I going to talk to on those long rides we shared? Windshield time will never be the same my friend. I love you and will continue to love you long after our demise.”
Tom Wallis knew Tony for almost 40 years. “He was the one-of-a-kind friend I could speak to once a week, or once a year, and it was always the same. Laughing about something or other that could have happened years ago or just that week. Always the same warm guy.”
“He was quick with a funny, crass comment that always got me laughing,” said Victor Celania. “I don’t think I ever met anyone with as quick a wit. He taught me a lot about fitting custom clothing and about fabrications. Fifteen years later and I’m still using the things he taught me.”
And from Rick Rasgaitis, “Tony was one of the most pleasant people in the menswear industry. God Bless and Rest in Peace.”
Tony is survived by his children: Ernie and wife Gaby, Nicole and husband Frank, Tony, John and wife Maria, and grandchildren Aristides, Dante, Oliver and Siena. He’s also survived by his sister Laura, her husband Peter and their son Marco. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife Maria in 2015.
A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 23 at St. Michael’s RC Church located at 800 Ocean Avenue in Long Branch, NJ. To share a memory or leave a message for his family, go to m.woolleyboglioli.com.
