Frank Joseph Anthony Cilluffo

Frank Joseph Anthony Cilluffo of Portsmouth NH and Eliot ME passed away January 2, 2022 at his home in Eliot. He was surrounded by loving family, many of whom traveled to Maine to be with him after a period of his declining health. Frank was born on July 16th, 1943, to Vito and Vita Cilluffo in Carini, Sicily. With his two younger brothers and lifelong best friends, Anthony and Philip, Frank crossed the Atlantic in the winter of 1954 to their new home in Brooklyn. Frank quickly acclimated himself and was the first in the family to become fluent in English, translating documents and bills for his parents and schoolwork and comics for his brothers. Frank graduated from St. Augustin High School and attended Brooklyn City College. Even though he was a voracious student, he preferred to be self-taught. Mathematics came naturally to him; his intuitive understanding of probabilities would direct the course of his adult life. He began a long career in the finance industry at First National Bank and then the Federal Reserve, quickly moving to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange while serving in the US Army National Guard. He subsequently served as a lead trader for Arthur Lipper Corporation and Steinhardt, Fine & Berkowitz. Known as “Tony” Cilluffo or the ‘bearded prophet,’ his investment predictions began to prove uncannily accurate. Longtime friend and associate Michael Steinhardt wrote in his memoir, that he “truly had a direct line to God.” He met the love of his life, Irja, on Wall Street in 1968 and they were married in New York in 1969. They welcomed Frank Jr. in 1970 and Christian in 1972. He spent many afternoons playing tennis with Frank Jr. “Frankie” and sparked an appreciation for music in Christian. In 1979, Frank opened Cilluffo Associates in New York, and later moved his business and family up North, splitting his time between Portsmouth, in the Captain Thomas Thompson House on Pleasant Street and the Sturgeon Cove Farm in Eliot. Their annual Christmas parties, charitable fundraisers, and Fourth of July celebrations pulled neighbors and community in with unfailing hospitality and generosity. Always pulling for the underdog, Frank devoted much of his time advocating for minority groups and supporting the arts. Frank enjoyed the sunsets and river views at Sturgeon Cove every summer and in 2018 the farm became his permanent home. He puttered around the gardens on an old golf cart. He watched the deer and whistled to the birds while day-trading on the porch. Life became quieter than the Brooklyn streets, slower than the trading floor, and easier than the Sicilian village: peaceful. Sturgeon Cove became beloved by family, friends, friends-of-family, family-of-family, and friends-of-friends, who would gather around the pool, talk through the night absorbing his advice (he was a mentor to many) -- or make their way to the tennis court where they would lose to Frank’s ferocious slice. His adoring granddaughters visited often -- laughing and storytelling all summer long with their “Papa” on the porch. For Frank, family was his core, whether it was his daily morning phone call with his brother, Philip, who lives overseas, working as business partners with his brother Anthony, or sharing the world with his wife, sons, and granddaughters, he dedicated his life to them. He even requested care in his last days be entrusted to his caring wife and nurse and niece Sara. He was a good and generous man, always putting others before himself, and he leaves a large community of family, friends, business associates, and neighbors, who will miss him dearly. Frank is survived by his wife, Irja, his brothers Anthony and Philip, his sons Frank and Chris, daughter-in-law Nadine, granddaughters Madison, Paige, Simmi and Mia, nieces Sara, Carina, Anna, and Joanna, and nephew Philip Jr. In accordance with his wishes, a private service will be held for family and a Celebration of Life will be observed in the summer. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire For online condolences, visit: www.jvwoodfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction and care of the J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel.