Following is the obituary for ANTHONY P. GIUNTA Jr., submitted for the family by the Harding Funeral Home.

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Anthony P. Giunta, Jr. (Tony), age 77, of Westport, son of Anthony P. Giunta Sr. and Maria Rose Giunta, was born March 2, 1945, and died on Saturday, July 9, 2022. He was married in 1972 to his loving wife and life partner of 49 years, Frances.  

Tony was a life-long resident of Westport, graduating from Staples High School in 1964. He went on to New England College, graduating in 1969 with a BA in English. In 1975 he received his Masters of Science degree in law enforcement from the University of New Haven.

Tony lived a life dedicated to his family and to the service of others. Tony loved God, his family and his country. 

In the U.S. Army, he reached the rank of E-5 and left the service with an honorable discharge. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion. 

Tony joined the Westport Police Department as a patrolman in 1971 and retired as a sergeant in 2006. He served as the PBA president for two years and the Community Outreach Program chairman from 1997-2005.  

In 1982, he joined the Kiwanis Club of Westport and became president in 1984. Tony started the Staples High School Kiwanis Key Club in 1985 and became its advisor through 2021.  

Tony joined Boy Scouts of America in 1989 as an adult leader in Troop 39. Within scouting he held many leadership roles, including scoutmaster and Eagle Scout coordinator, and received many awards, including Silver Beaver Award from the Connecticut Yankee Council, and through Masonic Scouters, the Daniel Carter Beard Award in 2011.   

Tony served on the committees of the American Red Cross and the Westport-Weston Family YMCA.  

In 1996, he was selected as an Olympic Torch Relay runner in Westport in recognition of being a Westport Community Hero.  

In 2007 he joined Temple Lodge #65 in Westport and became worshipful master in 2014. 

As a kidney transplant recipient in 2011, Tony inherently understood the gift of life. He became a supporter of Donate Life, an organization to encourage organ donation. He cared deeply about the program.

Besides his wife, Tony is survived by his daughter, Kirsten, her husband, Devon Middleditch, and their daughter, Maria, and his son, David, and his partner, Elizabeth; his sister, Carol Axley, and her husband, Michael, as well as many other close relatives.  

Calling hours for family and friends will be held Friday, July 22, between 4 and 8 p.m., at the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. A funeral Mass will be on Saturday, July 23, at 10 a.m., at St. Luke Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North. Interment will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main St. Condolences for the family may be left online at www.hardingfuneral.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the National Kidney Foundation, American Heart Association or Donate Life America.