Antonio de Grassi

Antonio de Grassi was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on September 19, 1948, to Antonio de Grassi of San Francisco, California, and Margaret de Grassi (née Jackson) of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He passed away in Sacramento, California, on June 25, 2025, surrounded by members of his loving family.

Antonio, known to friends and family as Tony, was the second of three children and was raised in Palo Alto, California. Tony married the love of his life, Maura Baumeister, in 1972 and settled in Concord, CA, where they raised their two sons and lived for the next 40 years. Tony had a 30-year career leading sales and account management for Kaiser Permanente, where he was loved and made many lifelong friends.

Tony loved life. He was funny, ever-curious, fun to be around, and retained his 1960s liberal, free-spirited ways throughout his life. He was kind, compassionate and caring and always saw the best in people. He loved entertaining with stories, jokes, and anecdotes as well as tinkering with his toys - he could often be found racing remote control boats at the park or zooming around town on his electric scooter like a 12-year-old. Tony had a passion for music, and he enjoyed singing and playing guitar in his free time. He had a wonderful voice, and in retirement he began performing in public. While he never achieved the status of his idols like Bob Dylan or James Taylor, he was a crowd favorite with steady gigs playing and singing at local farmers' markets and private events.

Tony was also a major sports fan, with a particular passion for baseball, shared by his two sons. He always found time to throw batting practice to them no matter what was on his plate, and literally never missed one of their games. He coached his kids with a remarkable joy and positivity that was admired by all. He stayed active to the end, enjoying golf, tennis, and pickleball. Tony loved nothing more than spending time with his wife and cats, enjoying the warm summer nights on his back porch, and sipping a glass of Zinfandel. In short, he was the best, and he will be much missed by all who knew him.

Tony is survived by his wife Maura, his sister Gina de Grassi and partner Jim Reed, his brother and wife Alex and Alison de Grassi, his two sons Tony Jr. and Brian, daughters-in-law Emily and Nga, niece Erika Beyer, nephews Ian Beyer, JJ Duffy and Ryan Duffy, and Maura's sister and husband Kristen and Jack Duffy. Tony was a loving grandfather (known as Papa) to his five grandchildren, Cory, Hailey, Antonio (Will), Kira, and Zoe. He also leaves behind countless friends and colleagues whom he loved and who loved him dearly.

Arrangements for a memorial are being planned and will be announced to friends and family.