Anthony Tony Harrison Wambach

When Anthony "Tony" Wambach walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Tony was and how he impacted those around him. Tony was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. Tony was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Tony was born on October 29, 1982 at Dwyer Hospital in Milwaukie, Oregon. He was the son of Steve and Marcy Wambach. Tony was raised in Milwaukie. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Tony might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Tony was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Tony was raised with one older sister, Rhiannon. Tony was very accepting and supportive of his family. These traits served Tony well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Tony was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Tony was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Tony took part in baseball, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, skateboarding, swimming, ATV's, BMX racing, skiing, and snowboarding. Tony had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, Tony responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. Tony absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Tony, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Tony was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Tony was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Kevin Korn, Don Martin, Joey Taylor, Danny Nonne, Adrian Sargeant, Brandon Kennedy, Glen Machtanz, Bolen and Pat Miller, Joey Boullett, Kenny Clausnitzer, Aaron Mills, Dylan Stafford, Will Hawkins, Chris Hodson, Chris Lange, Jeff Heileman, Joe - Joe, Jeremy Rawls, Jesse Dever, Peanut, Todd, David and Shae and many, many others that we apologize to for not listing.

Because Tony loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were chess, skateboarding, snowboarding, and he had a great passion for glassblowing. Tony had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes.

Tony derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. In high school, Tony didn't partake in any organized sports, but enjoyed snowboarding and skateboarding. Tony was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Blazer games, X-games, and other extreme sports.

Though he never did anything solely for individual recognition, Tony's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned him accolades for his many lifelong efforts. Some of his most prestigious awards included numerous sales awards presented to him by various employers.

Tony was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. Some of his best friends were Gizmo, a Calico Persian cat that he had for four years, and Vinnie, a white Persian cat that he had for seven years. His family was rounded out by his golden retrievers, Max and Angel.

Tony Wambach passed away on April 3, 2010 at Portland Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. He is survived by his parents, Steve and Marcy Wambach; sister, Rhiannon Miller; and nieces, Lillian and Betty Miller.

Tony left behind his girlfriend, Juliea, whom he cared for deeply.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm, Friday, April 9, 2010 in Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home. A reception will follow. Please enter through gate 9.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Tony. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Tony Wambach for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Tony was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.