Anthony Aldo Conte, M.D., was born in Foggia, Apulia, Italy, on Jan. 4, 1921, son of the late Joseph and Rose Conte.

He came to the United States in 1936 on the ocean liner Rex and settled in Conway, Pa., graduating from Freedom High School. He attended the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, served in the U.S. Army, and graduated from Buffalo Medical School, New York, in 1950. It was there that he met his wife, Josephine Kurczab, who was studying nursing. They were married on June 10, 1950.

They moved to Patterson Township (Beaver Falls, Pa.) in 1951 and he completed a residency in anesthesiology at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. From 1956 to 1963, he was director of anesthesiology at the former Providence, Rochester General and New Brighton hospitals. He also delivered anesthesia in children’s dentistry.

In 1963, Dr. Conte opened up a private medical practice, specializing in nutrition and weight control. He was one of Western Pennsylvania’s first bariatricians, and pioneered a number of new medical programs for weight loss and arthritis therapy, as well as conducting clinical trials in the field. As a nutrition and weight loss expert he received national recognition, appearing in “Look” magazine, on CBS radio and on numerous local television and radio talk shows.

Dr. Conte prized his Italian heritage as a member of the Beaver County Wolves Club. In the 1980s, he was the host of “Italian Echoes” on what was then WBVP-FM radio. He was also a loyal fan of University of Pittsburgh football and also worked with football players on their weight and training regimens, befriending coaches Jackie Sherrill and Jimmy Johnson. His profession also took him to a Washington to participate in a White House conference on health and nutrition. He was an avid boater on the Beaver and Ohio rivers. Tony and Jo owned several dogs, Daisy, Daisy, Honey, Holly and Sadie.

In 1986, Tony and Jo relocated to Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he established a new following of loyal patients and continued his love of boating on new waters.

In 2001, they retired to a log home on Miller Mountain in Saluda. There, Tony became a member of the Kiwanis Club, Knights of Columbus and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, all in Tryon.

Tony is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, John and Joan Conte of Conway, Pa.; two sons and daughters-in-law, David and Alison Conte, Sewickley, Pa., and Darrell and Sharon Conte, Charlotte, N.C.; grandchildren Nicholas Conte, Kristin Gabriel and her husband, Adam; and Amelia Conte; many nieces and nephews and several great-nieces and nephews. A memorial mass will be held Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Conway, Pa. The family will receive friends after the mass.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice & Palliative Care, Charlotte Region, 7845 Little Avenue, Charlotte, N.C. 28226, or Hospice of the Carolina Foothills 270 Fairwinds Road, Landrum, S.C. 29356. T.H. Robertson Funeral Service, Lic. is serving the family. www.throbertson.com.