OBITUARY FROM NW INDIANA TIMES WEBSITE VIA LEGACY.COM:
Antonio R. Didonna Dyer Antonio R.Didonna, age 60 of Dyer, passed away Tuesday, June 20, 2006. He is survived by: his wife,Diane Didonna; son, Michael Didonna; brother Nick (Toni) Didonna; sisters: Rose Shearer, Teresa (Pete) Maggio, Pina Jackson, Lily (Frank) Cinquapalmi; numerous other loving family members. Funeral services will be held at the Fagen-Miller Funeral Home,8580 Wicker Avenue (Route 41) in St.John on Saturday,June 24 2006 at 10:00 AM. Burial Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville.Friends may meet with the family at the funeral home on Friday from 2 to 9 PM Tony was a devoted father and husband, a loving family member, a loyal friend. A Vietnam Veteran in the Marine Corps., a hard worker, a Gonnella employee for 30 years and a happy man. Tony would say, "Thank You; I Love You."
This information was obtained from: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nwitimes/name/antonio-didonna-obituary?id=15380209. The picture above was obtained from the 1965 HHS Memories yearbook, made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1965Images/.
FROM FRIEND DANIEL KLAHN:
I did not attend school in Hobart, but I knew Tony through a mutual friend. Lost contact with him when he joined the Marines, and I joined the Navy during Vietnam. Sorry to hear about his passing. I really liked Tony. Bless him for serving our country.
Eileen Sheehy (Jordan) (1965)
I think it was 3rd grade at St. Bridget's school when I first met Tony Didonna. He was a new student from Italy, I believe. He could speak very little English. Whoever the teacher was (Sr. Marguerite or if it was 4th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek) introduced Anthony, as we called him, and told us to be polite and helpful. He was quite shy that first year, but gradually became used to us as we became used to him. By the time we moved into high school, he seemed like an ordinary American kid. He was a fun guy.
Robert Swisher (1967)
TONY, what a great guy! He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Once his mother made a dinner for my bride and me. It was awesome!! She must have cooked and prepped for 3 days for that one meal. All great "old country" family rescipes. He sreved our country, surviving a combat tour in Vietnam. But the lingering effects of that "agent Orange" cut him down. Good bye, my friend. You are missed by family and friends alike.
Sherry Oswald (Peterson) (1965)
Tony was a dear friend. He was always kind hearted and cared about others. Tony bravely served in the armed services during the Vietnam Conflict. We always kept in touch at Christmas time with cards. Tony passed on way too early in life.