Anthony Brian Else was born in Hastings, Nebraska, on June 15, 1982, beginning a life of service to others. He was called home to the Lord on March 6th.
Known as Tony to his friends, and nearly everyone who met him became his friend, folks noted his quick wit and even quicker smile. In the darkest of moments, Tony could change the tone with his smile and a kind word. And in the lightest of moments, Tony’s dry humor could make you laugh until your belly ached. He was sometimes compared to Mr. Rogers, although with a flat-bill hat that read “Old Man” in place of a cardigan.
He often asked his kids if they knew where Napoleon kept his armies. Even though they knew the joke, Tony still got a kick out of proclaiming, “in his sleevies!” His penchant for dad jokes may have elicited a groan and an eye roll, but it also kept a pure smile on everyone’s face.
Tony fell in love with music at Clarion-Goldfield Middle School and carried that on to United Township High School. He performed in the choir and was all-state his senior year. He continued singing throughout his life, performing in church, serenading his wife, entertaining his kids, and unconfirmed rumors say he had the best shower singing voice on multiple U.S. Army deployments.
He met Jeanna, the love of his life, their freshman year of college when he was singing in a variety show. As he belted out ‘Pretty Woman’, a song Roy Orbison wrote in tribute to his wife, Tony had no idea his future wife was watching and had decided she had to meet him. It was love at first sight. They built a family modeled in their shared understanding of kindness and love. They raised four beautiful children together: Abigail, Alexander, Jackson, and James.
Tony started his professional career in the management track at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores while attending MidAmerica Nazarene University (from which he graduated with a degree in Management and Human Relations). He could recommend a treadmill to get you running, weights to get you lifting, a variety of sports gear to get you playing, and could quickly size you for running shoes, cleats, or a comfy pair of Crocs. It was there that he began to hone his love of mentoring and developing others while demonstrating the importance of caring for those with whom you worked. When you worked for Tony, you weren’t just a number, you were a treasure to him, and he knew shared success came from his ability to make you feel valued.
He carried those same ideals with him when he decided to join the U.S. Army in 2010. He did so, not with visions of glory, but with visions of service. He saw an opportunity to further his experience as a servant leader and became a positive influence on hundreds of Soldiers and civilians.
Tony’s service took his family all over the U.S. and took him all over Europe. He served in multiple highly-competitive assignments, including as an Observer-Coach-Trainer at the National Training Center (NTC) and as a Basic Officer Leader (BOLC) instructor at Fort Lee. Fort Lee was his final assignment on active duty, as he and Jeanna decided on a more stable life for their kids than the movement cycle that active duty service provided. Tony transferred to the Army Reserves and was slated to deploy again this summer.
For Jeanna and Tony, his service came with another benefit: an extended family. In addition to friends who became family, they took Soldiers under their wings like parents. They’d feed them, counsel them, and Tony would even share a dad joke with them. Tony was well known for a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and an ability to provide a plate full of comfort food. Tony took it upon himself at the NTC to cook for the units at the end of a training rotation, knowing well the morale boost that came with a good meal. He did the same for his BOLC students, although he sometimes would overestimate the number of King’s Hawaiian rolls and bring them back home for his family to snack on.
While Tony brought a lot of his military service into his family life, one of their favorite parts was his continued love of camping and boating. He and his family loved their time outdoors, away from the bustle of daily life. He tried his hand at fishing, but intel reports sourced from his kids show the fish were completely safe when Tony was around. They weren’t though, as his solitude while fishing gave him plenty of time to think of more dad jokes!
While Tony’s love and compassion were boundless, his kids knew trouble was brewing when dad started counting down from 5. If he reached 1, there was some physical training coming. The kids didn’t love burpees nearly as much as they loved him.
Speaking of brewing, Tony had become quite a home brewer of beer. He collected books, watched videos, tried different kits, and invited friends over to serve as his guinea pigs (although they preferred the term ‘taste testers’). For Tony, it wasn’t about the alcohol. He enjoyed the dedication and the process and knew that a home brew provided him more opportunities to spend time counseling and advising those who valued his advice.
Tony is survived by his parents, H. Mark and Paula Else; wife, Jeanna, and their children, Abigail, 14, Alexander, 13, Jackson, 7, and James, 6; sister, Rebecca Williams, her husband, Lee, and their daughters, Erin and Kaitlyn.
Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Saturday, March 13, 2021 at Laughlin Service Funeral Home. The funeral service will follow at 12:00 noon.
