Roll Call Tribute

Tony Joe Salvaggio 

September 18, 1931 - January 21, 2025 

Tony Joe Salvaggio, 93, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on January 21, 2025, in Dallas, Texas. He was born on September 18, 1931 in Hearne, Robertson County, Texas to Joe Tony and Bonnie Piccolo Salvaggio. Raised by their grandmother after their mother died when Tony was nine months old, he and his older sister, Josephine, spent their early years enjoying life on their father’s cotton farm. When the Great Depression sent cotton prices plummeting, the family moved to the “big” city of Bryan, Texas. The hard work and determination that he witnessed in his own father after losing his farm and learning a new trade in order to support his family, instilled in young Tony a work ethic and sense of duty and fairness that persisted throughout his lifetime. It was in Bryan/College Station that a whole new world opened up for Tony, and the pinnacle of that world was Texas A & M University. His love for this venerable Texas institution began with ushering at games during his Boy Scout years. After joining the United States Navy and serving for four years aboard the destroyer USS Barton during the Korean War, Tony returned to his hometown to attend Texas A&M on the G.I. Bill. He graduated in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, becoming the first college graduate in his family. Newly married, Tony and his then wife, Anna, moved to Dallas, Texas, where they raised two daughters together and where Tony began his lifelong career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. From management trainee to junior officer, to AVP, VP, SVP, and First Vice President/COO, Tony retired in April of 1996 after 40 years of service to his first and only employer. Through his succession of promotions, new departments and assignments, Tony was known as a people’s manager who made it a point to know his employees, a man of good judgement, integrity, consistency and steadiness in a storm.

Tony married Kathy Beckman on February 13, 1987, and a few years after his retirement, they moved to Payson, Arizona in May of 1999. They built their home on the 12th fairway of the Chapparal Pines golf community. Here Tony was able to indulge in his favorite game of golf, forever complaining about his handicap, and watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys and Aggie football teams struggle and stagger through bad years and triumph in good seasons. He also enjoyed building remotely controlled model airplanes and flying them with members of the Rim Country Flyers, volunteering at the St. Vincent DePaul Society Food Bank in Payson, and preparing tax returns for seniors under a program sponsored by AARP. He became an excellent cook, preparing Italian specialties from his childhood and continuing to command the outdoor grill like a pro! Tony and Kathy spent many wonderful years together traveling the world, going ballroom dancing with friends, taking golf trips to such places as Tubac and Scottsdale, Arizona and Palm Desert, California. In May of 2021, Tony and Kathy moved back to Dallas to be closer to family. They settled into the welcoming retirement community of Edgemere in the Preston Hollow area of Dallas where they have enjoyed the company of friends and family.

Tony shined as both a father and a grandfather. He traveled often for business in the early years but made up for time away from home by spending quality time with his daughters on the weekends. Many a memory was made on Saturdays when the schedule with Dad included tag-alongs to the barber shop for a touch up on his Aggie buzz cut, followed by a visit to the lumber yard or hardware store for supplies for his latest home improvement project, then a stop at the local five-and-dime store for a simple toy as a reward for good behavior. The day might even include the best errand of all – a trip to his office at the Federal Reserve Bank to sit in awe in the chairs in front of his desk and gawk at all the papers, books, binders and of course, Aggie paraphernalia decorating the walls and tables! His woodworking and carpentry skills were exceptional. He crafted a full-scale dollhouse complete with working doors, a staircase and custom furniture for his young daughters’ Barbie dolls! Tony was also quite the handyman, able to repair almost anything, including the occasional broken toy or doll that had met with an unfortunate accident at the hands of a careless playmate.

As his children grew up and moved on into young adulthood, he was always there with a steadying hand, offering sound advice, a shoulder to cry on and big cheers for their accomplishments. College graduations and wedding celebrations for all his children were sources of immense pride and joy for Tony. He was fully engaged and interested in each of their careers that include the IT, banking, advertising and restaurant industries. When his grandchildren started to arrive, Tony gave each one love and attention and the priceless gift of time, even when he and Kathy had retired to Arizona. His visits to each grandchild included outings and activities geared to exactly what their interests were at the time, whether sports, model building, dolls, or dance. As they have grown up, some already having children of their own, Tony has been a constant in their young lives - graduations, weddings, and careers. His love of life and learning and his sense of fairness and responsibility will live on in them as Tony set an outstanding example for all to follow.

Tony is survived by his wife, Kathy Salvaggio; his daughters, Annette Pipes (Steven) and Rosemarie DeTrempe (Peter) of Dallas, Texas, and his stepchildren Wendy Beckman of San Francisco, California and Wade Beckman (Mary) of Bryan, Texas; his eight grandchildren, Andrew DeTrempe (Carly), Philip DeTrempe (Andrea), Cameron Pipes (Stephanie), Elizabeth Kuchler (James), Collin Beckman (Alexandra), Carson Beckman, Chloe Saracini, and Alessandra Saracini; his four great grandchildren, Peter DeTrempe, Bennett Beckman, Walter Kuchler, Eloise Pipes and one more great grandchild on the way, Baby Beckman (due in August 2025); his sister, Sarah Neveu (Charles), Bryan, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8017 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas at 11:00 AM on Thursday, February 27, 2025. Private burial services will follow at DFW National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tony’s honor to the Texas A&M Foundation (info@txamfoundation.com phone: 979-845-8161) or the North Texas Food Bank.