Send-off planned for popular town veterans agent

Tony Andreotti, who served as the veterans agent for the town of Canton for 20 years until his retirement this past August, will be honored at a retirement party luncheon at the Canton Town Club on Saturday, October 26.

Outgoing Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti

Andreotti’s career as Canton’s veterans agent began after he had retired and moved to Cape Cod. He was in a drugstore while visiting Canton when he picked up a copy of the Canton Citizen. Reading through it, he saw that the town of Canton had advertised for a new veterans agent.

“He decided that was what he was being called to do next,” Jennifer Trethewey, office administrator for the Canton Department of Veterans Services, explained.

Born on Staten Island, New York, Andreotti moved to Canton with his family when he was 2 years old. He attended the Canton Public Schools, graduated from Canton High School, and later served in the Army, traveling overseas to Korea and reaching the rank of corporal by the time he was discharged. He later worked in management for a manufacturing company.

Andreotti has worked hard not only to support veterans and their families but also to ensure that all Canton residents are aware of the sacrifices that members of the military branches have made. One of his biggest projects during his career was the creation of the Veterans Memorial Park at Canton Corner Cemetery, a site that he calls both a living museum and a curriculum resource for local teachers and students. War monuments from downtown locations were relocated to the park and monuments honoring the Canton casualties of the Civil War and the Iraq War were added. Poles and branch flags line the American Legion Walk of Honor that honors the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine. The town’s annual Memorial Day parade ends at the park and culminates with a ceremony at the Walk of Honor.

Monies from the not-for-profit Canton Veterans Fund have been used for the creation and maintenance of the park and for a variety of events and projects, including monthly coffee hours for veterans that feature guest speakers; a visit from The Wall That Heals, a mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; the annual Memorial Day celebration; and the reconstruction and restoration of the Civil War Infantryman statue that stands outside Memorial Hall.

For all of his contributions to lasting memorials, it is Andreotti’s smaller gestures that have affected people in large ways. He assisted veterans and their family members with filling out forms for aid; was never too busy to answer any question a vet had; made sure that money from the fund was used for rent, mortgage expenses, food, fuel, and funeral expenses that veterans or their families needed; and was instrumental in assembling the Veterans Department Funeral Honor Guard. The Honor Guard comprises local veterans who gather at the funeral of a fellow Canton vet to pay tribute to them for their service. Members of the Honor Guard have attended over 700 funerals since its inception, and Andreotti made a point of attending the funeral of every local veteran that he possibly could.

“He has created a community here in Canton that recognizes, honors and remembers our veterans,” Trethewey said. “It’s an attitude that doesn’t exist everywhere. The work that he has done for and with the veterans — his impact has been huge.”

The celebration of Andreotti’s career on October 26 will include food and a cash bar. Ticket donations are $15 per person and available on a first-come/first-served basis. All tickets must be purchased by Tuesday, October 15. For more information, please call Cathy at 713-562-3188.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Oct 12 2019. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.