Anthony John Ornellas

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Andrew P. Hill High School San Jose State University

Anthony Ornellas Obituary

Just days after celebrating his 80th birthday, Anthony John Ornellas, better known as "Tony," passed away from cancer in Menlo Park, CA at the VA Medical Center on November 10, 2023. Tony was born to Sophie Molinaro and Fredrick Silveira Ornellas in San Jose, CA on October 29, 1943. He graduated from Andrew Hill High School in San Jose in 1961, afterwards joining the US Marine Corp and earning the Purple Heart following his service in Vietnam from 1964-1967. Tony attended college afterward with the encouragement of his beloved stepmother, Josephine Ornellas, earning his MFA at San Jose State University, teaching art to high schoolers, and eventually working as an engineer in the tech industry. Passionate, playful, loving, adventurous, and creative, Tony was a talented artist who shared his imagination through the use of paint, photography, glass-blowing, ceramics, jewelry, carpentry, stained glass, and numerous other mediums. He was an enthusiast of cycling, running, hiking, camping, traveling, laughing, and just plain adventuring who belonged to various organizations during his lifetime including a potters' guild, the Sierra Club, and his local VFW. He loved contributing to his community in Santa Cruz by cleaning up graffiti, sharing food and supplies with unhoused neighbors, and volunteering with the VA to support fellow veterans. He will be remembered best by his loved ones for his beautifully demented sense of humor, his courage, and his extraordinary imagination which never failed to capture the fascination of children. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Fredrick "Jerry" Gerald Ornellas, and is survived by his children Sarah and Gavin Ornellas, his sister and brother in law, Jeanette Marie and Dan Morris, many loving cousins, cherished nieces and nephews, and several adoring neighborhood cats.Special love and gratitude for the staff and residents at the VA Medical CenterMenlo Park.A Celebration of Life will be held in Tony's honor at 12pm on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Seacliff State Beach--State Park Dr., Aptos, CA.

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Published by Santa Cruz Sentinel from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Anthony Ornellas

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7 Entries

James Dailey VFW Post 10110

April 14, 2024

I never met Tony, but over the last year with VFW Post 10110 I have heard so much about him; what a great guy he was and how he always helped in many ways. I am told that many times he did not tell anyone in advance that he would take care of a problem or an improvement, they would show up to a venue and see the work he had done. VFW Post 10110 Hutch Collier made one comment stuck with me about Tony, "He was a veteran's veteran. The perfect example of what a veteran should be."

LoisRae M Guin

February 14, 2024

We are placing a memorial brick in the patio area of the Veterans Memorial Building as a remembrance of hw mush Tony meant to not only his colleagues, but also those in need that he served.
LoisRae Guin, Navy veteran/Korean War
Sr vice cmdr, VFW Aptos Post 10110

Nancy Hammond-Shaw

February 13, 2024

So sorry. I had him as my teacher and had so much fun in his class.

paula barsamian

January 22, 2024

I loved cycling with Tony. he was interesting, fun, and kind to everyone.

Leonard C Foreman

January 22, 2024

Tony was a great guy and a fellow Viet Nam vet, we also rode road bikes together in Santa Cruz County, he will be missed.

Jeff Brody

January 22, 2024

Cyclists may notice the faded center line on the twisty bridge over Highway 1 from Mission Hill to High Street. Tony painted that.

LoisRae Guin

January 20, 2024

I met Tony a few years ago when we worked together as members of the VFW Aptos Post 10110 for their major fundraiser at the Laguna Seca Raceway. We became friends and he convinced me to join him at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building for their Wednesday veterans service day, providing a hot meal and pantry for homeless and needy veterans. Tony also recruited me to join him at the American Legion Post 64 to try to boost their membership. We worked together at those venues over the years and became friends sharing so much about our lives. He was very resourceful and came up with many ideas for improving things. Each season, when we work at the racetrack we are constantly reminded of the many improvements he made to help us work more efficiently. He was a very special person and I feel that my life was richer for having had him as a friend!

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