Obituary: Dr. Anthony F. Politi, 1955-2023

Dr. Anthony F. Politi, 68, of Willsboro, N.Y., passed away peacefully
with his family by his side on Saturday, December 30, 2023.

Dr.
Politi was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on February 24, 1955, the son
of Anthony and Rita (Mariano) Politi Sr. He was known as “Tony”
or “Doc” to family and friends and is survived by his wife of 31
years, Janet Politi, and children, Sam and Olivia. He is predeceased
by his father and mother.

Anthony grew up in Westchester
County, N.Y., with his brothers, Joseph and Peter, graduating high
school from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y.,
before pursuing a degree in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson
University in New Jersey. He realized his passion for medical science
and continued his education at CW Post, Long Island University.
Ultimately, he had a conversation with his father that led him home
to the old country, where he studied medicine at the University of
L’Aquila School of Medicine in L’Aquila, Italy. There he became
fluent in Italian and fell in love with his home culture before
returning home after three years abroad to graduate from Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in Manhattan.

After graduating med
school, his colleagues and best friends convinced him to move to
Salem, Mass., where he was a resident for two years at North Shore
Medical Center and spent a third year as chief resident. There he
made the best decision of his life and met his now wife, Janet
Wightman Politi.

Twelve years in Ipswich and the birth of
his first child, Samuel, led him to his dream of moving to the
Adirondacks, where he spent summers as a child with his
family.

Living in Willsboro, he welcomed his second child,
Olivia, and opened his Peru, N.Y., practice in 2001.

Twenty-two
years as the physician, specializing in internal medicine, and
medical director at Adirondack Medical Practice, from which he
started on his own, gave him many friends and colleagues who he
admired dearly. Those whom he cared for praised his bedside manner,
his diligent efforts and his outgoing personality. Many have even
said they actually looked forward to going to the doctor because of
him.

In 2023, Tony stepped down to focus on his happiness
and health.

Tony was an eclectic man with many hobbies,
particularly focused around his love for the Adirondacks. He loved to
hike, camp, fish, ski and travel around the area and could be found,
if not there, in his garden. He admired the lake, to which he moved,
frequently boating, cliff jumping and exploring waterfalls along the
shore.

As an eternal learner, Tony was a true bookworm and
loved to read anything he had his hands on. He read the paper daily
and dove deep into U.S. history through various sources. His love for
knowledge also challenged him to master joys such as cooking and
landscaping, two other passions that kept him busy.

As
Tony was often quoted saying, “Dogs are better than people,”
please send donations in his name to your local animal shelter in
lieu of flowers.

A celebration of life will be held at
Hamilton Funeral Home, 294 Mannix Rd., Peru, NY, on Saturday, January
13, 2024, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All friends and former patients are
welcome to attend.

This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.