A sad day for the family to lose a man with such a big heart.
I remember working for Tony right after he opened his office supply company. He always had an upbeat personality, and he never stopped smiling.
He will be missed but only for a short time.
David Zumwalt -Ross
July 2, 2024
I remember when Tony had a office supply store on 3rd Street se. I was one of his drivers. He was a great man and a great boss.
Jody Hauskins
December 25, 2021
What a special and precious man Tony was! I knew him for a short time while living at Oakwood in Los Angeles. We met commenting on the weather and within a moment we were talking about the Holy Spirit! Tony was real, passionate, caring and a true Christ follower. Having moved back to Atlanta several years ago, I just learned of his death as I was looking to reconnect and check on him. I remember being amazed at his knowledge and passion concerning "human trafficking," well before it was the issue on everyone's lips. He was led by the Lord into this work. Rest in peace, Tony! May the work you began continue to multiply as this heinous crime against children and others is brought into the light. A good man.
Sue Bentley
February 3, 2018
Hey Tony! If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times. From our days at Grant Wood elementary, then on to McKinley, and finally to Washington, Hey Tony! was heard in the halls, and wherever our peers gathered.
Tony and I could have been called best friends. We spent a lot of time together, with our various athletic activities, football, kid’s league baseball during the summers, wrestling, and finally boxing. Combined with all the activity was a lot of just “knocking around”. As we got older, cars came onto the scene, and we would “ride around” (a term of art in high school culture), and drop into various food venues, as well as making the rounds at Lindale Mall.
Tony, Little Tony as he was known in his early years, grew up in a family that specialized in hospitality. Big Tony and Mrs. Nassif were the embodiment of hospitality. Both at the restaurant, and in the Nassif home, the hospitality was warm and heartfelt. It rubbed off on Tony.
Many was the time that Tony and I would walk into a food venue frequented by high schoolers, such as the old George’s Gourmet pizza shop on 1st Avenue near Coe, and the minute we hit the door, kids around the restaurant would call out Hey Tony! He would then “work the room”, going from table to table, shaking hands, meeting and greeting, engaging in jovial conversation, and then at the right moment, bidding that table a farewell, and moving across the room to another table. Of course he learned that from watching Big Tony, Gary, and Mrs. Nassif when they went from table to table at the restaurant making people feel welcome and special. Tony made people feel good. They liked being around him, engaging in banter and teasing. People knew that they could count on Tony for a smile, a laugh, and an encouraging word.
I remember Tony at the Iowa Golden Gloves boxing tournament in Des Moines in 1968. He knocked out his first opponent, with the referee who counted out Tony’s opponent being none other than the great Rocky Marciano, who was the Honorary Referee at the tournament that year. We had great times when our boxing team would travel around the state. Each trip would supply us with enough stories to repeat and embellish upon until the next trip.
As years passed, we both moved on to more serious pursuits. But when I would see Tony, or speak to him by phone, we were both sure not to let the memories of a more carefree time fade. Old stories and memories came easily to both of us.
Tony’s sense of humor and ability to make others feel good touched a lot of lives. Tony, you are missed in this world. I suspect, however, that in Heaven, the sounds of Hey Tony! are already being heard. They are lucky to have your there.
David Reeder
Los Angeles, California.
David Reeder
January 31, 2016