Anthony 'Red' Cardillo, of Waltham, WWII Veteran Dies at 88

The following obituary was provided by the Brasco Funeral Home.

Anthony "RED" Cardillo of Waltham, passed away on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at the age of 88. 

He leaves behind his loving wife, Sadie (Alesse) Cardillo, of 65 years and children Anthony Cardillo, Jr. and his wife Deborah; Anita Haley and her husband Jack; and Theresa Falzone and her husband Robert all of Waltham. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. 

Red was born and raised in Belmont where he attended school until he left at an early age to help support his family. At the start of World War II, he worked at the Boston Naval Shipyard where he learned to weld – a skill he would later use to grow a successful business. Eager to help his country, Red convinced his mother to give him permission to enlist in the armed forces, despite the fact that he was underage. He was soon deployed and fought valiantly in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Upon returning home from war, Red met his wife Sadie on a blind date and they were married on June 13, 1948. That same year, he bought his first bulldozer and started the Anthony Cardillo Bulldozer Service.

In 1970, his son Tony came to work with him and they changed the name of the company to A. Cardillo & Son, Inc. Together, they continued to grow the business and it is still thriving today with the third generation at the helm. 

Relatives & Friends are respectfully invited to attend a Funeral Service in celebration of Anthony’s Life in the Chapel of Brasco & Sons Memorial, 773 Moody St, Waltham on Thursday morning Sept. 12th at 10:30 a.m. Entombment with Military Honors will follow at Calvary Cemetery Chapel Mausoleum in Waltham. Visiting Hours will be held in the Funeral Home on Wednesday Sept. 11th from 3 – 8 p.m. Parking attendants on duty. 

Expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to the American Heart Assoc. 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.