Anthony John “Tony” Pasko, born June 25, 1950, in Newark, passed away May 10, 2025, in Red Bank.
Tony was a builder. He began his career by helping to build cars at General Motors, then spent years in building construction and project management. With a foundation laid in Keansburg, he built a life guided by love for his family in Red Bank and Middletown for more than 40 years.
After graduating from Middletown High School, he went to Northwestern State University in Louisiana but returned to the Red Bank area to build a family with his wife, Linda (Kirwan). That family grew to include their sons, Mark and Aaron, who flourished both academically and athletically.
In the Italian tradition, weekends always ended with Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Pasko’s house, where all the family gathered. This is where Tony learned the meaning of love and support.
After Linda’s passing in 2001, Tony became a stay-at-home dad to his daughter Katelynn. He guided her through a most difficult time and provided her with all the love he had in his heart. He truly was the original “girl dad.”
But Tony wasn’t done building on his foundations of love and family. In 2005, Tony married Liz (Shaw) and took on not just the role of loving and supportive husband, but also stepfather to Liz’s young son James. He was kind and patient and guided James in the way he did everything else, with a heart full of love and often a big pot of homemade meatballs.
Tony’s passion outside of family was tennis, where he built a network of friends. But family was always the foundation of his life, and he spent many of his best times in Cocoa Beach, Florida, surrounded by extended family members. Tony was happiest with the sun on his face, music in his ears and cold Sam Adams in his hand.
Tony was predeceased by his parents Anna and Anthony, his wife Linda and his brother Richard.
He is survived by his wife Liz; his sons Mark (Susan) and Aaron (Krista); his daughter Katelynn; ad his stepson James; his granddaughters, Madison, Ella, Avery and Brooke; and his devoted sisters, Rose Scritchfield, Penny Giglio (Nick) and Marianne Widmaier (Tom).
Tony is also remembered by his beloved aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews who will forever miss his big smile and big heart. His longstanding group of tennis friends will remember him as one of a kind.
The article originally appeared in the May 15 – 21, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
