Obituary of Andrew John Crisanti

Andrew Crisanti passed away March 22, 2023, due to complications from dementia. He was 88.
Andy was born on November 3, 1934, in Cranford, New Jersey to Ulderico "Andrew" Crisanti and Asunta "Sue" D'Alessandris. First and foremost, Andy was Italian. He was the proud son and grandson of Italian immigrants. He loved opera, pasta, prosciutto, his big Italian family and The Sopranos. Secondly and very importantly, he loved music. He was the former Principal Clarinet of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for 31 years. He has performed with Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Dallas symphonies. In his young adult days, he performed at the prestigious Marlboro and Tanglewood festivals where he performed with some of that generation's finest musicians. Those wonderful festival memories seemed to bring him much comfort in his final months.
Andy was also a terrific Benny Goodman style jazz clarinetist, and he loved jazz as much or maybe even more than classical music. He was a multi-talented musician who shared much of his knowledge of clarinet with hundreds of students. He truly loved teaching and enjoyed his students of all ages!
He was still performing at 87 with the organization of Texas Winds Musical Outreach, where he performed for many young children of the Head Start Program in Fort Worth. He enjoyed the satisfaction of performing for and introducing young children to the joys of music.
Andy was preceded in death by his parents Andrew and Sue. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jan Crisanti, the former Principal Flute of the Fort Worth Symphony. Andy and Jan were very lucky to have had such a special life working and making music together. Andy was a wonderful husband, dad, and grandpa and will be greatly missed by his daughter, Gina, his son Matthew, his daughter-in-law Leigh Ann and granddaughter Emilia as well as everyone else in his extended family.
Please join us for light refreshments and sharing of memories to celebrate the life of Andy on April 16 from 5:00-8:00p.m.
Location: Pinstripes, 5001 Trailhead Bend Way, Fort Worth, TX 76107