Obituary of Tony Joseph Lorince Sr.

Anthony Joseph ‘Tony’ Lorince Sr. was born in Hazen, Arkansas on February 29, 1932 to Verona and Anthony Joseph Lorince.  When he was 18 months old, his father died in a farming accident in Arkansas.  His mother re-married Morris Philben, but she died during pregnancy when Tony was only 6 years old.  Left without a birth mother and birth father at such a young age, Tony was blessed to have several Aunts who wanted to care for him as one of their own.  He was taken in by his Aunt Mary and Uncle Orval Sampson, who brought him to Colorado and raised him as their son.  Four years later, Mary and Orval welcomed their only daughter, Patty, giving Tony a ‘sister’. 

Tony was raised on the family farm north of Arriba and attended Arriba High School, graduating in 1949.  He excelled in sports, especially basketball.  Those athletic genes passed on to his children, grandchildren, and can still be seen in his 14 great- grandchildren.  Even as he aged, he found contentment participating in and watching family holiday ball games and ‘washer tossing’ tournaments.   

Tony married his high school sweetheart and biggest cheerleader fan, Dorothy DeLin Petersen, on June 21, 1950.

To this union were born two children, Kathern ‘Kathy’ DeLin and Anthony Joseph ‘Tony’ Jr.  Kathy married Mike Hall from Flagler and Tony, Jr. married Joan Ward from Colorado Springs.

Tony and DeLin raised their children on the family farm north of Arriba and were active in both the Arriba and Flagler communities.  They were members of and active in the First Congregational Church in Flagler.  DeLin died in 1982 after a long battle with cancer.

Tony remarried Marilyn Pendergast Remington on October 2, 1983.  As one of the grandchildren remarked, ‘she made him smile’.  Marilyn’s two sons, Randall and wife, Cheryl, from Jasper, Alabama, and Mark and wife, Wendy, from Katy, Texas, extended Tony’s family and provided excuses for many trips to Alabama and Texas for birthdays and family celebrations.

Tony loved his family passionately and left each one of them with tender memories of the way he uniquely loved each of them.  He treasured his extended family in Arkansas, the San Luis Valley and the Arkansas Valley.   One of his all-time favorite places to vacation was Disney World.  

Tony was a farmer. He enjoyed everything about farming and the beautiful high-plains of Colorado.  He especially enjoyed harvest and driving the combine.  He enjoyed the beauty around him.

Tony was a generous man with a servant’s heart.  He once gave the gift of sight to everyone in his immediate family by paying for lasik eye surgery for all that needed it.  His final gift was organ donation after his death.  At times he seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.  He anguished over his trials as well as the trials of others.  He would grieve over families of the community who had an ill child or who had lost a loved one.

He could look at any billowing cloud and observe God’s work, but would also see wind and hail.  He could look at any beautiful wheat plant and see drought stress, bugs, and disease.  He could appreciate the complexity of a new piece of farm equipment but would also see something that would inevitably break.  Tony loved to walk around the farm and survey God’s beauty.  On his last day on earth, his son unknowingly watched him for the last time, walk from the shop toward the house, into the sunset, with his two beloved dogs, Rocky and Brodie, at his side.

Tony entered the presence of the Lord on March 28, 2018 after a brief and sudden illness.

Tony is survived by his wife, Marilyn, of 34 years and his children, Kathy, and husband Mike, and Tony Jr. and wife, Joan.  His pride and joy were his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who all fondly referred to him as ‘Paparoni’.  Tony’s grandchild, Michelle DeLin (Hall) McConnell, and husband, Preston, provided Tony with six great grandchildren: Zachary, Joshua, Madelin, Savannah, Noah and Hope. Tony’s grandchild, Matthew Lorince Hall, and wife, Moya, provided Tony with four great-grandchildren:  Owen, Tate, Finlay and Silas.  Tony’s grandchild, Jennifer (Lorince) Galloway, and husband, Chris, provided Tony with three great-grandchildren: Avery, Luke Lorince and Maggie.  Tony’s grandchild, Heather (Lorince) Harrington, and husband, Paige, provided Tony with one great-grandchild: Quinn.

Tony’s step-grandson, Grant Remington, and wife, Stephanie  provided Tony with twin, red-headed great-grandchildren: Preston and Parker.  Tony’s remaining step-grandchildren are Derek, Paige and Haden Remington.

Tony is survived by his sister Patty (Sampson) Murphy and her husband Paul, and their children Angie Elrick and her husband Gary, and Becky Schiferl and her husband John.  Patty and Paul’s grandchildren are Bryant Elrick, Jana (Elrick) Ewing and her husband Chester, Paul Schiferl and Michael Schiferl.

Tony will be missed by the surviving family of his late wife DeLin, including Royce and Midge (Petersen) Melia and their children and families: Shannon (Melia) Book and her husband Richard and family, Brett and Melinda Melia and family, and Darrin and Sandy Melia and family; and Bill and Donna Petersen and their children and families: Lisa, Khris, Kent, Kurt and Mike.

Tony is survived by Marilyn’s brother Bob Pendergast and his children:  Chris, Tracy and Scott.

Tony is also survived by numerous cousins and other relatives in Arkansas and the San Luis Valley, Colorado.

 Tony was preceded in death by his biological parents, Tony and Verona Lorince, the ‘parents’ who raised him, Orval and Mary Sampson, his first wife, DeLin, and step-grandson Travis Remington.

A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Flagler on April 7, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. with burial at the Flagler Cemetery.

Contributions may be made in Tony’s honor to the Community Ambulance Service.