Antonio "Tony" Juncal Sr.

On Tuesday, March 17, 2009, we lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a great friend to all, Antonio "Tony" Juncal Sr.Tony was born in Ybor City on June 2, 1937 to Margarita Martinez and Manuel "Shorty" Estevez Juncal. He had five brothers and two sisters. Four brothers preceded him in death, Oren Pardo, Rene, Charlie, and Lorenzo "Chino" Juncal. He is survived by his sisters, Josephine "Bea" Fernandez and Isabel "China" Suarez and brother, Camilo "Pal" Juncal. In May of 1957 Tony borrowed a friend's car and eloped with the love of his life, his wife of 51 years, Yolanda. Together they built a life that reached out and included not only their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but many extended family members, and wonderful friends. Their house was a home and haven for all. It was not unusual for them to have extras at the dinner table or a family room full of their children's friends staying over, sometimes for one night and often times for a extended period.Tony's life centered around his family. He is survived by his daughter, Valerie Antezana, two sons and their wives, Tony (Lisa), and Manuel (Terri) ; grandchildren Briana and Alexandra Antezana, Amanda (Chad) Beattie, Jessica, Melissa, Tony III, Jorel, Ginay (Richard), Manuel Jr. (Brittany), and Nicolas Juncal; great-grandchildren, Grace and Emily Beattie and Daniel and Damien Delashaw, and one more great-grand baby on the way. Many more considered Tony as "Pops" or "Abuelo" among those would be nephews, Jose and Danny Perez and his sister- in -law, Debra ( John Suarez) and their children, Aleja (Carl), Maria (Ernesto), and Joshua (Lizz).Tony was a lifetime resident of Tampa with the exception of a few years in East Bronx in New York. Tony was a Master Sergent in the National Guard. He worked at Bay distributors aka National Distributors for over 30 years. He retired in 2002. He was a Board Member of the North Brandon Little League and he coached at the Temple Terrace Little League. After retirement he worked as a Crossing Guard at Hugo Schmidt Elementary School in Brandon, which was one of his favorite jobs! He then later worked at Gonzalez Funeral Home for three years.Tony came from a family of fishermen. His father made his living from the sea. Tony was passionate about fishing and continued the tradition as a hobby. He spent a lot of time fishing with his sons, grandsons, and friends. He was a hands on type of guy and also enjoyed wood working, leaving a legacy of monogrammed benches and other carved items for grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.In 1999, Yolanda joined the Krewe of Augustina, and not one to stay behind, together Tony and his brother-in-law John formed the "Los Cabrones de Ybor", an unofficial Parade Club that had fun while waiting for their wives to march by and provide them with beads and kisses. Their signature piece is their black beret decorated with pins from all walks of life. The unofficial club currently has 23 members. Tony also met with a group at the Tropicana on a regular basis. They call themselves the "OMC", Outstanding Men's Club. At the table with a cup of cáfe con leche and hot Cuban bread.Together they solved the world's problems.Tony was the type of person that you could sit and talk to for hours. He walked in the door and you were sure to hear at least five new jokes. He bonded with people and he had a special connection with everyone he met, whether it was a nickname or a special pat, everyone was important and unique to him, as he was to them.While Tony has physically left this earth a part of him lives in all of us. He will be missed!