STATEN ISLAND, NY – A beloved husband and father whose freelance photography work captured the stories of his fellow Staten Islanders has died.
Anthony Spennato, 38, of Grymes Hill, a building superintendent in New Springville who worked as a photographer for Advance/SILive.com for more than five years, died of complications from cancer while surrounded by his family and friends at Staten Island University Hospital. at Ocean Breeze on Friday, June 30.
“He fought until he couldn’t fight anymore,” his wife, Tanya Spennato, told Advance/SILive.com. “His last words to me were, ‘I love you more.'”
On Dec. 3, Spennato, after visiting Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton with severe back pain, was diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer that metastasized throughout his body, affecting several organs and progressing to the point of causing fractures in his neck, hip and many other bones.
Then Tanya’s lifelong friend Dawn Roman set up a GoFundMe page. The charity site remains online and will continue to help the Spennato family.
In addition to his wife of 13 years, Tanya, Spennato is survived by three boys, Anthony, Lorenzo and Lucas; three older stepchildren, Wilbert, Sierra and Elijah; his sister Deborah, and mother and father, Deborah and Anthony Sr.
Dedicated to his photography, the lifelong borough resident shared crisp images of fires, police crime scenes and car crashes with Staten Island readers. She also captured special family moments for the Advance, including back-to-school pictures of her young children.
“Anthony fought a hard fight to the end, and we are incredibly proud of him,” Roman wrote on the page. “We are grateful that Anthony was able to celebrate his son Lucas’ first communion, his 13th wedding anniversary, his children’s birthday, Father’s Day and most recently his 38th birthday before his passing. We will cherish all the memories we were able to have with Anthony.
Funeral services will be held at Scalia Funeral Home in Eltingville on Thursday, July 6th and a funeral Mass will be held on Friday, July 7th.
Anthony Spennato, 38, a freelance photographer whose work appeared on Advance/SILive.com, died Friday, July 30, of complications from cancer. (Photo courtesy of Tanya Spennato)
