Longtime knife sharpener at suburban farmers markets dies
Tony Durante, a longtime knife sharpener and fixture at farmers markets throughout the suburbs, had an unparalleled passion for the trade he learned as a boy from his Italian grandfather.
Durante, who would have celebrated his 72nd birthday next week, died Wednesday at his Schaumburg home after losing his battle with cancer, his wife Christine said. He was diagnosed in October 2013 and went through treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, all while sharpening knives at farmers markets in Elgin, Schaumburg, Naperville, Northbrook and Skokie, through the end of September, his wife said.
A native of Italy, Durante treasured the more than 100-year-old knife-sharpening machine he inherited from his grandfather, his wife said.
"He was a husband, he was a provider," she said. "Sharpening - it was his whole life."
Durante had myriad loyal customers and made friends easily, said Leo Urdaneta, owner of Domani Cafe in Elgin. He was a regular, early morning customer and never failed to tell everyone that espresso was the only way to drink coffee, Urdaneta said.
"He loved life," he said. "He was very committed to his job, it was more like a hobby. His ethics were amazing. For years he kept knives left by some customers, waiting for the customers to appear."
Durante left Italy at a young age and immigrated to Belgium, where he worked in a coal mine for 10 years, and then to Australia, where he was a welder for a decade. He moved to the United States in 1973 to join his uncle and grandfather in Berwyn, and never went back to Italy, his wife said. He worked at the former Klein Tools in Roselle until about a decade ago.
The Durantes met in 1989 - where else? - at a farmers market in Schaumburg.
"I left my mother standing at his stand, and when I got back she said, 'You have to go to lunch with him,'" Christine said. After initially ignoring his attempts to get together, she eventually relented; the couple were married in 1994, the second marriage for both.
"He was a character. All our neighbors loved him," she said. "I loved him very much."
Durante is survived by a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He will be cremated and a private gathering will be held for relatives and close friends.