Antonio Tony Pangilinan Montealegre

After a lifetime of providing for his family and making those around him happy, Antonio ‘Tony‘ Pangilinan Montealegre died at Earl K. Long Hospital on Friday, December 16. He was 68.

A 36-year resident of Baton Rouge, Tony was born March 23, 1943, in Santa Cruz, Zambales in the Philippines. He graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1964 with a degree in chemical engineering. In 1965, he emigrated to Chicago, IL, to continue his education at Illinois Institute of Technology, where he graduated with an M.S. and Ph.D in chemical engineering in 1970. After moving his family to Lexington, KY, Tony worked as a research associate in gas technology at the University of Kentucky. From there, the family moved in 1975 to Baton Rouge, where he worked for five years at Walk, Haydel & Associates. He then worked the next 16 years as a chemical engineer in research and development at the now-defunct Ethyl Corp., which became Albemarle Corp. While at Ethyl, Tony helped develop and build plants in Magnolia, AR, and Orangeburg, S.C. He also worked as a contract engineer for Jacobs Engineering.

After retiring in 1994, Tony concentrated on his true passions in life: gardening, carpentry work and spending time with family and his many friends. He planted and lovingly tended a beautiful vegetable and fruit garden in his backyard. He built arbors, picnic tables, bookshelves, shoe racks, and his last project, monkey bars, a see-saw and tree house for his adoring granddaughters. He loved the outdoors, enjoying camping and hiking with his family, taking cruises with his family and undergraduate classmates, and driving around the United States with his wife at his side. At home, he enjoyed nothing more than laughing with friends, eating a bowl of ice cream, mixing margaritas, browsing on his computer, grilling steaks and catfish and concocting dishes, especially squid pusit, a Filipino delicacy that was a frequent food request among his Filipino friends.

Tony will be joyfully remembered and sorrowfully missed by his immediate and extended family, as well as many friends. He is survived by his wife, Ligaya V. Montealegre, of Baton Rouge; two sons, Antonio V. Montealegre and Noel V. Montealegre, both of Baton Rouge; two daughters, Rosanna M. Bashinski of Sammamish, WA, and Melissa M. Egan of Clarksburg, MD; two sons-in-law, Brian M. Bashinski of Sammamish, and Marcus F. Egan, of Clarksburg; three granddaughters, Christa M. and Brianna M. Bashinski of Sammamish, and Karenna M. Egan of Clarksburg; one grandson, Elijah M. Egan of Clarksburg; three sisters Edeltrudes M. Acosta of Jacksonville, FL; Casimira M. Monsalud of Chuluota, FL; and Sotera M. Majan of Pensacola, FL; and numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, Benedicto and Rosa Montealegre, of Chicago, IL; and his grandson, Christopher M. Bashinski of Sammamish.

The visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, December 21, at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., in Baton Rouge. A viewing will be held at 9:30 to 11 a.m. at St. Louis King of France Church, 2121 North Sherwood Forest, in Baton Rouge, followed by the funeral Mass, celebrated by the Most Rev. Jack Nutter. There will be a private burial for family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Louis King of France Church, where Tony was a member; the Bishop Stanley J. Ott Center for Women and Children; or ANCOP Foundation USA (www.ancopusa.org), a Filipino charity that builds homes for the poor in the Philippines. Donations to ANCOP Foundation USA can also be mailed to ANCOP Foundation USA; South Central Region; Attn. Ms. Cherry De la Cruz; 4806 Hazel Brook Court; Kingwood, TX 77345.