Andover - Anthony A. Aponick, Jr., 84, of Andover, MA., passed away December 3, 2025, at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston after complications following a stroke.

Tony was born June 17, 1941, in Buffalo, NY., to Anthony and Valeria (Warakomski) Aponick, natives of PA., when his father accepted a position there in the chemical industry. Tony spent his earliest years in Cincinnati, OH. After his father's sudden death in 1953, when Tony was twelve, the family moved to Williamsport, PA., where he graduated from Williamsport High School in 1959. He attended MIT on a scholarship and received degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. He later earned an M.S. (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) in Nuclear Physics from Yale University. Tony's study at Yale included probing the structure and dynamics of rare earth nuclei, key components of certain minerals used in mining, a study which formed the basis of his doctoral thesis.

In 1968, he co-founded Micronetics, Inc, a pioneer in the field of laser micromachining. After the company was bought, Dr. Aponick accepted a position at the MIT spinoff, EG&G, in Salem, MA. One of his major achievements during his time there was the development of a multispectral photo sensor array which became the heart of the camera aboard the Viking Mars Lander on its mission to Mars. It provided early color photographs of the Martian surface. Tony later joined the engineering firm of Foster-Miller, Inc, of Waltham, MA., where he was responsible for directing numerous programs used in the industrial, aerospace, and military sectors. Foster-Miller was eventually bought by an overseas firm and became QinetiQ North America, where Tony retired as a Vice President of Design Engineering.

His love and knowledge of engineering and computers contributed to Tony becoming a mentor for young engineers. Many kept in touch with him after he retired. Tony also kept in contact with high school and college friends, as well as colleagues, often joining them for lunch at local restaurants.

In addition to engineering, Tony loved exploring the natural world and spent mornings in retirement walking the woods and forest trails near and beyond his home in Andover. He often photographed the wonders he saw: a dragonfly on a leaf, a spider's web, a deer startled by his presence. He and his family also enjoyed Labor Day camping trips in Bar Harbor, Maine, and vacations on Cape Cod.

Tony met his future wife, Kathleen Casey Aponick, in Boston in 1968, when Kathleen worked as an educational book editor and Tony and a colleague were forming Micronetics. They married at St. Paul's Church in Cambridge in 1970 and lived in Newtonville, MA briefly before settling in the Andover area in 1972. They had been married fifty-five years.

Besides Kathleen, Tony is survived by his son, Michael Aponick, of MA.; sister, Barbara Ann Aponick and partner, Norma Zarfoss, of PA.; sister-in-law Mary Paula Baumann and husband Dr. Gerhard Baumann, of IL.; brother-in-law Atty. Robert E. Casey, of WA.; niece Catherine Baumann and husband Tommaso Nicolao, of NY.; grandnephew,

David Nicolao, of NY.; and cousins that include Patricia Desler, of CA., and Mary Beth Durkin, of CT.

Tony will be remembered as a loving husband, father, brother, friend and neighbor. His wife Kathleen notes that "Tony liked to challenge preconceived notions, yet he was in awe of the mysteries of the universe. He had a gift of explaining difficult concepts in simple terms and often added details that would stay with you. It's hard to imagine a world without him."

A Celebration of Life service for Tony will take place on Saturday, January 17th, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Conte Funeral Home, 28 Florence Street, Andover, MA., where friends and family are welcome to share memories of Tony.

Contributions in his name can be sent to Lazurus House Ministries, 412 Hampshire St., Lawrence, MA 01841.