Anthony John Houghton

Tony, as he was known, will be lovingly remembered by his five children: Barbara Huther (Kevin), Nancy Stemme, Margery Paris Nichols, Mary Helfrich (Chris), and James Robert Houghton (Alix); 10 grandchildren: David Huther (Elise), Brian Huther, Marisa Dorsett (Aaron), Ryan Stemme (Maggie), Kyle Stemme, Anthony Nichols, Isabel Helfrich, Nicole Helfrich, Anna Carroll Houghton and James Reynolds Houghton; and three great-grandchildren: Ezekiel (Zeke) Dorsett, Remi Skye Dorsett and Julian Huther.

Tony is predeceased by his beloved wife Isabel Dolores (Woods) Houghton, and his parents, Margery Agnes Houghton and Alfred William Marotta.

Tony was born on September 25, 1932, in South Orange, New Jersey, and attended West Side High School, where he was a standout athlete in track and field. He was recruited by the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, where he was a four year letterman in Track and Cross Country, serving as Captain in his senior year. An outstanding student, Tony was a member of multiple honor societies, including Phi Eta Sigma and Pi Mu Epsilon, and graduated in 1955 with a BS in Mathematics.

Following his graduation from North Carolina, Tony worked one year before joining the Army, where he taught math and statistics to officers at Fort Belvoir.

He achieved the status of Fellow in the Society of Actuaries by passing eight difficult examinations. His distinguished career included employment at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Nelson and Warren, TPF&C Tillinghast, Towers Perrin, and John Alden. Tony was one of the nation’s most highly regarded actuarial consultants and the author of the statistical manual used by most US insurance and related organizations.

In 1959, Tony met the love of his life, Isabel Woods, and the couple married in June of 1960. They initially lived in MetLife’s Stuyvesant town in New York before moving to New Brunswick, NJ, as the family grew. As the demands of daily travel to New York impinged on family time, Tony accepted an offer to move to St. Louis in 1964 where he raised his family and extended his successful career.

Tony was very active in youth sports, particularly soccer, and his coaching approach was later adopted by his son Jim, who followed in his father’s footsteps. Tony shared his love of running with the family, who enjoyed trips to the local high school to run the track alongside him.

Tony was an animal-lover and could often be found with a cat in his lap as he enjoyed sports of every variety on TV. With football in particular, Tony would have paper and pencil in hand as he noted plays in the first half and then predicted the plays in the second half.

Having grown up with extended family in New Jersey, Tony enjoyed taking his family to Point Pleasant with its beaches and boardwalk. Later, his grandfather passed on the family home in Nantucket, which then became the family’s summer paradise.

In 1992, he and Isabel moved to Singer Island, Florida, where he briefly ran his own consulting firm and later led the actuarial practice at John Alden before retiring fully. He took up golf and played three times per week. He also played in the weekly bridge group at The Reaches condominium where he and Isabel lived.

Family was of paramount importance to Tony. He loved visits from his children, grandchildren and later, great-grandchildren. At their oceanside condo, he would join the clan at the beach for a dip in the water or to body surf, a skill he taught his children.

Over the course of their marriage, Tony and Isabel had the opportunity to travel extensively. He had an amazing mind which he loved to extend with study about the history of the people and destinations they visited. Before they departed Tony would share these discoveries with the family at dinner. Destinations ran the gamut from the capitals of Europe, the Middle East, South America, Mexico, and throughout the United States. Tony and Isabel had a wonderful friend group who also enjoyed international travel, so they continued to expand their visits in retirement.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those who wish to honor Tony’s memory to make a donation to a charitable cause of their choice.