Tony Cebalo

Carmel - Tony Cebalo of Carmel, IN, passed away peacefully on December 29, 2024 at the age of 93. He was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, on March 8, 1931, to parents, Stjepan and Kata Cebalo. Tony pursued a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, having received his degree from Auckland University in 1965.

Tony married Janice (Jan) Byerley on March 5th, 1965, spending nearly 60 wonderful years together. He is survived by children Anthony David (Dave) Cebalo, Philip Cebalo (Beth), Jenny (Kevin) Siminski; grandchildren Emily, Andrew, Olivia, Josie, and Audrey.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Frances Borich and Gloria Haynes.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21st, 2025, at Flanner & Buchanan Hamilton Memorial Park - Prairie Waters (4180 Westfield Rd. Westfield, IN).

Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Tony worked in the U.S., living with extended family in the New Jersey area. After returning to Auckland and receiving his degree, Tony married Jan, whom he met while she was the assistant to the head of the organic chemistry department. He and his new bride then set out on a five year adventure to "America", after which they would return to New Zealand.

Life has a way of laughing at plans, and after five years and two children, they realized the market for organic chemists in New Zealand was limited and settled in the States. Tony worked at Air Products in Allentown, PA before moving his family permanently to central Indiana in 1970 to join Eli Lilly and Company, where he retired as a director in 1993. He worked in both research and production management, and frequently traveled internationally in his roles.

As luck would have it, Tony frequently traveled to Asia, which allowed him to "hop, skip and jump" to New Zealand to visit family through the years. Tony also made it a priority for his family to visit his home country and was an avid fan of travel in general, usually itching to get out of the cold snowy Indiana weather during winter break.

After retirement, Tony jumped straight into perfecting his golf game. He was unabashed in his love for the game, and for his commitment to the Low Country life in South Carolina, where he loved celebrating July 4th with his grandkids.

Over the years, Tony served on the Board of The Salvation Army, he was a proud patron of the arts, and an avid tennis player.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to be made to The Salvation Army. Those who are unable to attend in person are invited to join the Celebration of Life virtually here.