Anthony Michel Dzepina

Tony was born on June 13, 1939, in Basse-Indre, a small town on the banks of the Loire River in France. Michel grew up with his parents, who had immigrated to France from Croatia a little before the birth of Marie, his elder sister. His brother, Nicolas, was born a few years later.

Michel often spoke about his childhood in the countryside, where his father had found shelter for the family, away from the bombings of wartime. His love for nature, peace, birds, and trees began back then, when he was a child roaming freely across the fields, accompanied by peasants who truly cared for the little boy he was.

Michel was cherished by his mother, who inspired him deeply. His longing for justice and fairness, his kindness, and his desire to do good and be righteous came, in part, from his beloved Croatian mother. She lived in France and longed for her son to visit her after he later settled in the USA.

You all knew Tony—the friend you played tennis with, the one you shared good times with at work or on the beach, right here where we now stand to pay tribute to him from the bottom of our hearts. His sister will hold a ceremony for her beloved brother in a few weeks in France where a part of him will rest by his mother’s side.

Tony was SO special to us. He made it in America, but the journey was a demanding one. He arrived in the suburbs of Chicago at the age of 21, starting a new life with his aunt and uncle from Croatia, who took care of him during his first years in the United States. He studied hard, never gave up, and learned English, engineering, and much more. But above all, he learned how to live far from his family and to overcome the loneliness that sometime crept in.

However, things changed with the arrival of Nicolas and his wife Michele in California in 1974. Out of the three siblings, two were now in the U.S.

Tony eventually reached the point where everything took on new meaning. He found the job he had been searching for. He found a place where he could be happy in the sun, at the height of his youth—California, in the 1960s. Most importantly, he found the fulfilment he had always desired. He made friends, kept learning, and became a highly skilled engineer—dedicated to his work but also a fun-loving friend who enjoyed life, free and unburdened.

He went through life with a sense of romance, and a few names that struck a sensitive chord in Tony’s heart bear the echo of his voice today. They are Daniela, Hélène, Nora… Tony loved you. The idea that anything was possible was comforting to Tony, who had longed for his father's love as a child.

Tony travelled a lot across the USA and abroad, sometimes for work, sometimes for vacation. He went to Croatia several times, twice with his mother, in a sort of beautiful pilgrimage. He may have found the secret to his eternal youth through all his travels and wanderings. He would often talk about the generosity of the people he met in America. His love for his adopted country was genuine, and even as times changed, Tony always felt gratitude for the nation that gave him the chance to fulfil himself.

He considered it his duty to give back in return, which he did until the very end of his life. When his mother passed away, Tony decided to spend more time in France with his sister Marie, who lives in the city where their parents had settled.

Tony had many friends in France—friends who will never forget Michel for his kindness, charm, intelligence, humour, and simplicity. But Tony was also secretive. Who knows? Perhaps now he is with Hélène, the woman he dreamed about for so long—the one who made him a writer at the end of his journey in this world. Was she real? Was she a fantasy? Michel wrote his memoirs in both French and English, leaving behind a beautiful testament to his life on this earth.

We miss you, Tony.