Some sad news to report, Tony Stempeck of Casale's Halfway Club has died.
The family announced on Facebook that Stempeck died this week due to complications from coronavirus.
His death comes just three weeks after the passing of his mother, Mama Inez.
Casale's Halfway Club wrote on Facebook that the restaurant will remain open - and after a short break will be back on November third.
They're asking people to think of and share happy memories of Tony.Â
His sister, Maria Rogers released this statement to us:Â
We are so incredibly saddened by our loss of Tony on Monday. He was such a character, larger than life and beloved by so many locally, across the Nation and indeed around the world. All this for a boy from 4th Street. Tony was a good man, an incredible friend, son, brother, partner to Lynne and amazing father to Haley and Cierra. He was the guy walking into your life when everyone else was walking out. He was also funny as hell.
Even in our intense grief we recognize that the Halfway Club and what it represents is important to us and to our community. We will carry it forward.
As is the nature of family businesses we are part of something larger. In 1937 it was our Nona and Nono along with their children Inez and Jerry. Next was Inez, Jerry and their spouses "Steamboat" and Beverly, eventually we became the Inez and Tony show and most recently the dynamic duo of Tony and his daughter Haley.
It is well known that behind every great leader is an even greater team. In our case it is a dedicated group of family and incredible staff behind the scenes keeping this train on the tracks. In so many ways this is the key to our legacy. Our next chapter is Haley and her husband Paul with the support of Aunt Maria, Haley's sister Cierra, Cierra's husband Daniel and our entire Family. When we say "our entire Family" our definition includes not only those born and adopted in but the greater definition--those who are Family by choice. These are the people who choose to work with us every day including friends and family with a day job who come it to "pull a shift" because they love us. It is this Family, along with our community, that has and will sustain us as we move forward.
Maria Rogers (Tony's sister)
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