Anthony J. DeLuca

Anthony J. DeLuca, the East Stroudsburg High School Class of 1952 salutatorian who went on to a long career as a pharmacist in the Washington, D.C. area, died after a lengthy illness on April 23, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he lived for about 15 years. He was 91.

Mr. DeLuca was born on Oct. 25, 1934, the first child and only son of the late Anthony and Mary (Glorioso) DeLuca. He lived across the street from the high school with his three sisters and his parents, Anthony, a cobbler, and Mary, a seamstress and homemaker who met her future husband while visiting the Poconos from New York City. Anthony Jr. became the first member of his family to attend college. After graduating from George Washington University in 1956, Mr. DeLuca spent three years serving his country in the U.S. Air Force, before returning to the D.C. area for his pharmacy career, living in Temple Hills, Maryland, and later Laurel, Maryland. He moved to Fort Lauderdale around 2011 with his longtime friend, Greg Gibbs, who arranged for round-the-clock care for his ailing companion the last several years.

Mr. DeLuca, who chose his words sparingly and carefully, took joy in travel, visiting Italy, Egypt, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands. He shed his quiet nature at family weddings, when he cut up the dance floor, to the delight of his nephews and nieces.

Mr. DeLuca is survived by his youngest sister, Sylvia Frassinelli of Stroud Township. He was preceded in death by his sisters Providence Kensinger and Anna Marie Press, who both passed away in 2023.

A Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on June 13 at St. Matthew’s Church, 78 Ridgeway St., East Stroudsburg. Burial will be private. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bensing-Thomas Funeral Home, 401 N. 5th St., Stroudsburg.