Anthony Napier Cole's Obituary
Found at home, on July 15th, at 36 years young, Anthony Napier Cole (known as Tony, Phat Tony, Tizzle, Funcle Tony, son, brother and best friend) passed away peacefully, in his sleep, of a severe brain aneurysm. He was currently residing in Milwaukie, OR following the recent passing of his father, Curtis, in 2019, but was a lifelong resident and community legend of St. Helens, Oregon. Born on December 5th, 1983 in Portland, Oregon.
Tony was preceded in death by his father; Curtis Napier Cole Jr. of St. Helens, his grandparents, Curtis and Ethel Cole of Portland, Beverly and Stanley Duncan of St. Helens and Sharon and James Langan of Portland. He is survived by his mother, Cindy Langan of Monmouth, Oregon, his sister, Sarah (Cole) Lockwood, brother-in-law, Jeremy; nieces, Chloe (9), Marley (5) and nephew, Soren (7) of Independence, Oregon; and his beloved cat, Leo Tiger Cole. He is also survived by countless aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
One Love. Is it a statement, a feeling, a verb? For Tony, it was a way of life. Tony truly lived his life for others; always checking in, sending video messages, texts, cheesy selfies with his kitty, Leo. His nieces and nephew were his world but he made room in his giant heart to be an uncle to so many more.
We get one life on this Earth and Tony blessed us with his genuine presence. Always smiling, giving hugs, pulling silly pranks and taking care of us. He lived through his heart.
Though currently an employee of LAM Research in Tualatin, Oregon, Tony spent most of his adult life as a direct support professional and later as a personal support worker. It was his passion. He enjoyed spending his time at many of the local residential group homes, making sure his “peeps” were living their best lives; taking them on fun adventures like camping and 4-wheeling, remembering their favorite things and making sure they always had a smile on their face. Tony’s dream was to open his own adult foster home.
Tony loved to be outdoors. He spent a great deal of time in his hammock, out in the woods, helping in the shop or cruising with his car club, the Columbia County Euros. He spent a lot of time at the beach, taking pictures of his cars, going on roadtrips and family vacations. He had a love food and music, parades and parties. He recently took up the hobby of RC cars and loved finding new places to drive them. Tony was a dear friend to the mayor and would often call him up and ask him how and where he could help out. As a proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and with PRIDE, Tony shared his rainbows of love.
A viewing at Columbia Funeral Home in St. Helens will take place on Friday, July 24th, 4:00pm - 7:00pm (family will be from 3:00pm - 4:00pm). A celebration of life for Tony will be held on July 25th, 2020, on a friends property, at 35010 Hankey Rd, St. Helens Oregon. Event will open at 12:00pm and service will start at 1:00pm. Please, if you can, bring your own chair, and a mask. Chairs will be provided for family and closest friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation for Tony at the InRoads Credit Union, Tony Cole Memorial Fund. All donations will be used to support a need in the community for the residential group homes Tony spent so much time at; on and off the clock. Columbia County needs a “Tony’s House” and we would love to make that happen.
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Share a story where Anthony's kindness touched your heart.
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