Anthony Francis DiSanto, 97, of Wakefield, RI died peacefully at Westerly Hospital on July 16th, 2026. Born in 1929 in Providence RI, the youngest and last surviving sibling of 7 children born to the late Joseph A. DiSanto and Josephine DiSanto (Martellini) both of whom were born in Italy and immigrated to the US, where they later met and married in Providence, RI.

Anthony was known to all as "Tony". Tony grew up in Providence, he was a boy scout and he graduated from Mount Pleasant High School. He then attended Providence College where he received a BS degree in Biology in 1953 while working at nearby Haskins Pharmacy. He then served in the US Army Signal Corps during the Korean War. After his military service, Tony returned to attend the URI College of Pharmacy (formerly the RI College of Pharmacy which had been moved to URI) where he received a BS in Pharmacy in 1958.

He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Helen Rose DiSanto (Lewis). They met while they were both students, she studying nursing and teaching and he while he was studying pharmacy. They were married in 1957 and they moved to Wakefield and later Narragansett, RI. Tony and Helen had 3 sons and raised them in Narragansett, Wakefield and later Peace Dale. He leaves 3 sons, Joseph and his wife Virginia (Ginny) of Boston, MA, Lewis and his wife Lisa of West Kingston, RI, and Michael and his husband Jose of Madrid Spain. Tony and Helen have 4 grandchildren, Michael and Katherine both in New York City, and James and Elizabeth of West Kingston, and many nieces and nephews.

The greatest love of his life was his wife Helen, followed by his family and many friends. Tony lived his life focused on family, hard work, academic excellence, and a great deal of support for the South County communities of Wakefield and Narragansett. One his favorite sayings was "Work is Prayer."

Outside of his wife and family, Tony maintained a lifelong passion and academic interest in pharmacy, which he viewed as a profession that improved public health and by extension, society in general. Throughout his life, Tony sustained a strong working knowledge of the latest medications and industry issues. During his career he maintained strong ties and friendships with many professors and leaders at the URI School of Pharmacy.

In 1958 Tony started his career as retail pharmacist at Adam's Drugs, a pharmacy in Wakefield, becoming store manager in 1962. During this time, he and Helen made many friends and established strong relationships within the local community and South County medical network. They were very active socially and supported charities such as the South County Hospital Ball and RI Heart Association. Tony was involved in local politics and even ran for the South Kingstown Town Council in 1964. As their sons grew and became active in Cub Scouts, Tony served as an assistant Cub Scout Pack 44 Leader while Helen was a Den Mother

In 1966 Tony purchased the Pier Pharmacy on Kingstown Road in Narragansett. He worked long hours and quickly became a local business icon in the community. He formed great friendships and camaraderie with the other nearby retail business owners at Jerry's Hardware, Davis Liquors, Ideal Market and the local Industrial National Bank. For a time these businesses became the retail center of Narragansett. Pier Pharmacy grew, and Tony expanded its footprint twice, once in its original location, and later, in 1971 he moved the business to a new structure he had designed and built on Mathewson St., adjacent to Memorial Park and the Towers. Tony chose to stay in the center of town, even as other business owners fled the poorly conceived urban renewal project that forever changed the town center

From 1974-1978 Tony served on the RI board of Pharmacy as part of the RI Department of Health. He was Chairman from 1976-1978, overseeing state regulatory issues, the licensing process and pharmacy licensing review hearings. While a member of the Board Tony was always fond of and engaged in the yearly comprehensive oral exams of the "soon to be URI Pharmacy Graduates." He was always inspired by their hard work and intelligence.

At the Pier Pharmacy Tony employed many URI Pharmacy student interns where he enjoyed sharing his practical knowledge of operational pharmacy, compounding and treating customers with kindness and compassion. He also employed a number of professors on a part time basis who wished to maintain their retail pharmacy experience. There are many RI pharmacists still practicing today who he mentored or tested during his career.

Through his business he was also a supporter of the local community, often "extending credit" when a parent could not afford medication for their children, or around the holidays. He would periodically respond to calls from South County Hospital at 2AM to retrieve and deliver urgently needed medications that the hospital did not have in stock at the time. Tony also sponsored a Narragansett Little League team. He and Helen continued their involvement with the local medical community and for many years hosted a major holiday party for the local doctors and their office staff, and other Narragansett business owners.

Tony was also very actively involved with the RI Pharmacist Association (RIPA) from the 1960s through the end of the 1980s. He had many friends among the independent retail pharmacy owners who, due to industry and economic forces, often ended up selling their pharmacies to large chains.

In 1987 he sold the Pier Pharmacy and building to a new owner. He then went on to work as a pharmacist for the State of RI at the General Hospital at the RI Medical Center In Cranston until his Retirement in 1989.

He also supported Helen in her political activities when she ran and was elected in 1973 as the first women to serve on the South Kingstown Town Council, and later in her many other local community roles.

He encouraged his sons to work hard and strive for academic excellence throughout their educations. He also instilled a strong work ethic by encouraging them to work at the pharmacy during the summers, starting at a young age as stock clerks. All three sons regularly assisted him with many aspects of his retail business. Throughout their undergraduate years, he remained a steadfast supporter of their extracurricular activities, academic pursuits, and career aspirations.

From the late 1960's through the late 1980's Tony and Helen had a house in North Woodstock NH that the whole family and many friends enjoyed during the winter holidays and weekends to ski and use during the summer for white water tubing. From 1964 through the late 1980's he and Helen were longtime members of the Galilee Beach Club. Tony was very proud of his Italian heritage, and in his youth became a lifelong fan of the NY Yankees because of their many Italian players.

During his working and retired life Tony kept active in a number of charities and community organizations including the Knights of Columbus, The Elks, and RIPA. He often helped out in a variety of roles. For several years he played Santa Claus in the Wakefield RI Christmas Parade, one year arriving via the Pier RR, and another year was brought down from the roof of a Main St Building using a WFD Ladder Truck. Later after retirement, he found great joy volunteering at the Peace Dale Dinner Table evening meal, serving food and washing dishes on Wednesday nights at the PD Congregational Church. He often donated items such as his extensive mobility access ramp when he sold his house, so others less fortunate could benefit.

After retirement Tony focused on spending time with his beloved wife Helen, and all those things that brought him great joy. He took great joy in cooking Italian food, family meals and get-togethers, interesting conversation with friends and neighbors, telling stories, golf, photography, the NY Yankees, investing in equities, particularly pharmaceutical stocks, travel, playing the lottery, smoking cigars and a pipe, and an occasional trip to a nearby casino. Tony also loved dogs and enjoyed working around the yard and taking care of his vegetable garden in Peace Dale RI. He also had a love of history. In particular, he was fascinated with the "Last Lion" Winston Churchill and the history of World War II. Finally, he had an ongoing curiosity and enjoyed purchasing new technology products.

Over the last 40 years, Tony and Helen enjoyed regular travel to Madrid and Mojacar (Almeria) in the south of Spain to visit their son Michael, his family and their many Spanish friends, often for 4 to 8 weeks at a time. In Mojacar, they became active in the retired expat community and volunteered at a local dog shelter. During these trips they often also traveled to many other parts of Europe. Their last trip to Madrid was during the holidays in late December 2024 to January 2025.

Tony lived his life with passion and zest and is much loved by his wife Helen and his family. He was proud of his service in the US Army, which was a transformative experience, and being a veteran. He set high standards for all around him and achieved much - he lived the American Dream. Tony made time for service and was a regular contributor to many communities, local and professional. He was kind to strangers and those less fortunate and he always enjoyed helping whenever he could.

Tony will be greatly missed by all who had the great fortune to know him, and most of all by his family.

Visitation For Tony will be held on Monday, August 17th, 2026 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 12 Noon in Christ the King Church, 180 180 Old North Rd,

Kingston, RI 02881. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, his family prefers that donations be made in Tony's name to the following charitable organizations:

ACT - A Community Together - Volunteer Transportation Service for Elderly

A Community Together is a 501(c)(3) organization and program that supports aging-in-place for residents in South Kingstown and Narragansett, RI, using a network of volunteers, professionals and technology.

https://www.acommunitytogethervillage.org/index2

https://acommunitytogether.helpfulvillage.com/fundraising_campaigns/1-general-fund/show2

Donations to the Peace Dale Dinner Table at the Peace Dale Congregational Church

Peace Dale Dinner Table provides 260+ well-balanced meals a week to local community residents

https://www.peacedalechurch.org/dinner-table

Peace Dale Congregational UCC, 261 Columbia Street, Peace Dinner Table South Kingstown RI 02879.

https://www.peacedalechurch.org/ways-to-give

Donations For Service Dogs for Veterans:

K9s For Warriors is the nation's largest provider of service dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI, and military sexual trauma. Their innovative program uses rescue dogs, giving a second chance to both the veteran and the animal. The training and pairing process is provided at no cost to the veteran, and research shows that their service dog pairings significantly reduce suicidal ideation among participants.

https://www.k9sforwarriors.org/