Jan 14, 2019 6 min read

This year’s Fourth of July parade in Canonsburg won’t be the same, as the community mourns the loss of the parade’s founder, Anthony L. Colaizzo.

Colaizzo, 88, of Canonsburg, died Saturday, following a year-long struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that causes scarring.

He never missed a parade since he started them in the early 1960s, according to his family. He always either walked with the firefighters, or walked or rode as a dignitary-as mayor, state representative or grand marshal, according to Colaizzo’s youngest son, Louis.

“He was kind of like ‘Mr. Canonsburg,'” Louis said in an interview Sunday. “He was a really cool dude.”

According to an obituary put together by Louis and Colaizzo’s three other children, Colaizzo started the 4th of July parade after having to stay home in Canonsburg on that day one year. The family traditionally celebrated in South Park, but in 1962, one of his children was ill, so they stayed in Canonsburg.

“Later that day, Colaizzo took a walk and noted how lifeless downtown Canonsburg was,” the obituary reads. “There were no decorations, no flags, no celebrations.”

The next year he started a committee to come up with what is now the second-largest parade in the state. Louis said it was one of his father’s greatest accomplishments and that he’s been the grand marshal of the parade many times.

Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome, who succeeded Colaizzo as mayor in 2010, said Colaizzo always made the borough’s development a high priority. Rhome said Colaizzo was very proud of the parade.

“He wanted people to be able to stay home and be safe on a holiday weekend,” Rhome said. “Tony was very proud to know that he was successful in bringing a destination like the 4th of July parade to Canonsburg.”

Colaizzo’s entire life was one of service to his family and community, according to his obituary. He was elected student council president before graduating from Canonsburg High School in 1949. He then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, until 1952, after which he pursued multiple business degrees from Duquesne University.

“Colaizzo was notably never late to class, despite having to hitchhike 20 miles to school from his native Canonsburg,” the obituary reads.

Colaizzo married his wife LaVerne in 1954, and was known for the way he cared for her. Louis said a stranger once left a note on Colaizzo’s vehicle after witnessing the way Colaizzo helped his wife maneuver her walker in and out of the car.

“They were touched by his caring approach and left an anonymous note telling him that,” Louis said. “He took good care of her.”

In the mid-1960s, he started his own company, The Anthony L. Colaizzo Agency, which provided real estate, insurance and tax services. He served as Canonsburg’s tax collector from 1973 to 1988, before running as a Democrat for the State House of Representatives, where he served 10 years.

According to his family, he was a “champion for public education” while in office. He also worked to secure grants for local firefighters, and to secure millions of dollars in low-interest loans for the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority. He then served as Canonsburg mayor from 2000 to 2010, when Rhome took over.

“No matter where he was, he always had a smile on his face,” Rhome said.

Colaizzo was a volunteer fireman, a member of the Canonsburg VFW, board member for Canonsburg General Hospital Systems and the hospital foundation, member of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, and served in many nonprofits that sought to bring affordable housing to the community.

He was also a mentor to other politicians in the community like John Bevec, former Washington County commissioner, and Tim Solobay, former state representative, who succeeded Colaizzo in the 48th District.

Solobay said he remembers having political meetings in Colaizzo’s basement, where a group of political leaders would work on campaigns or election strategies. Solobay said when he took over Colaizzo’s seat in the 48th district, Colaizzo made him wear a bowtie, a signature look for Colaizzo.

“He always said it was cheaper to clean a shirt than a neck tie, so he always wore bowties,” Solobay said.

Bevec said Colaizzo was “larger than life,” and suggested he wouldn’t have become a commissioner without Colaizzo’s help and friendship. Bevec called Colaizzo his “political godfather,” and remembers having passionate political conversations while driving in the car with him.

“If you started disagreeing from the back seat, he’d turn around and start yelling at you, and he wouldn’t watch where he was driving,” Bevec said. “He couldn’t drive to save his life. If you took a drive with Tony, as soon as you got out of the car, you kissed the ground.”

Above all, Bevec said, Colaizzo always did what was best for Canonsburg and always encouraged people to vote and get involved in elections.

“He had people everywhere that knew him, respected him and loved him,” Bevec said.

Aside from the 4th of July parade, Louis said there were other things in Colaizzo’s life that he never missed, like family dinners and his morning workouts.

“He did a lot of jobs, a lot of community service, but he always came home for dinner,” Louis said.

Louis said his father was adamant about his fitness routine, jogging four miles a day around Canonsburg at 5 a.m. each day. As he got older, he switched to a five-mile walk, and later switched to working out at the wellness center five days a week. He was always very healthy – even after beating colon cancer seven years ago – and until this past year, was never on any medication, Louis said.

His favorite celebration, Louis said, was Christmas Eve, when the Italian-American family would celebrate the traditional Feast of Seven Fishes. Up until last year, Colaizzo would host the family and cook for everyone.

“This past year, even though he was very sick, we went to a restaurant to celebrate, and he was able to enjoy his family there as well,” Louis said.

Family was the most important commitment for Colaizzo, Louis said, and he was proud of his children and grandchildren. He “ingrained integrity” in his children “above everything else.”

“He always used to say, ‘When you do wrong, think about it, and when you do right, forget about it,'” Louis said. “The expectation was to always do right.”

Colaizzo’s wife and children are working on funeral arrangements through Sollon Funeral and Cremation Services in Canonsburg, which will be published at a later date.