In Memoriam: Anthony Saia, 61

In Human Resources at Chase Manhattan


© Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Anthony Saia, 61, of Tottenville, whose calling was helping others find employment, died March 3, 2009 in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Manhattan.

Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Saia grew up in Queens and graduated from John Adams High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served as a sergeant in Vietnam.

Upon his return to civilian life, he married childhood sweetheart Rose Testaverde in 1971. The couple lived in Brooklyn, Wantagh and Smithtown, L.I., before moving to Prince's Bay in 1988.

For 30 years, Mr. Saia worked in the human resources field, starting at Chase Manhattan Bank. While working, he put himself through college and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Baruch College.

In 1989, he opened a business staffing agency, Corporate Personnel Staffing in Manhattan, which he ran until 1999.

"His love for helping people and the rewards of assisting people find employment attracted him to this field," said his son, Rosario (Ross) Saia.

Shortly after selling his business, Mr. Saia was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma -- which was linked to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam -- and retired.

But his illness did not hinder him. Until the time of his death, Mr. Saia was a member of the board of directors of the National Association on Drug Abuse Problems (NADAP), helping recovering addicts with their job searches. He also belonged to the Society for Human Resource Management.

In 2002, Mr. Saia and his wife moved to Tottenville and bought a second home, in Boynton Beach, Fla. Mr. Saia belonged to the Italian and golf clubs in his development and made many close friends.

He enjoyed golfing, cooking and spending time on the finer things in life, including cars and good food. Mr. Saia is remembered for his devotion to his three sons and two grandchildren, Aliana and Alessia Saia, and was excited about the arrival of a granddaughter this June. He was especially close to his sister, the late Maria Polizzi, and was known as "Uncle Tony" by his many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Saia was a parishioner of St. Joseph-St. Thomas R.C. Parish, Pleasant Plains.

In addition to his wife of 37 years, Rose; his son, Ross, and two grandchildren, surviving are two more sons, Vincent and Anthony Jr.; his mother, Providenza Saia; a sister, Dorotea De San, and a brother, Lawrence.

 

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Please send personal remembrances to news@chasealum.org.

Paul Munoz: Tony was a friend for 38 years as we started our careers at Chase within six months of each other.  We stayed in touch over the years, and the thing about him was that he always stuck by his friends.  When I started my own business in 1994, he was there for me.  When things were slow or difficult, I could always stop by and see him and he would help me get back on track.
     I was able to see him three weeks before he died.  He was hesitant about people coming to see him because of his condition, but after his death, his wife, Rose, told me that he was very happy to see me - which means a lot.  Tony was the type of person who went out of his way for others.  If our positions had been reversed, he would have done it for me...truly one of the great people
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From Luis Mejia: I just found out online about the death of Anthony Saia.  I worked for him many years back, I believe it was sometime between 1989-1995.  Tony hired me when he was working for Network Temps Inc. I remember Tony as one of the nicest persons I ever met. Always with a smile on his face, but the most important for me, was the fact that he help to through my years in college. I was born in Honduras and came to the US in 1986, so I did not spoke any English back then, so it was very hard for me.  Tony was always a total gentleman, and understood my situation, helped by allowing me to leave the office half an hour earlier, so I could make it to college on time.  He is definitely in a much better place for sure.  God bless his Soul.