Anthony G. "Tony" BAMONTE

1942 - 2019

BAMONTE, Anthony G. "Tony" Anthony G. "Tony" Bamonte was born in Wallace, Idaho, on May 1, 1942, the son of Louis and Luciel (Starmer) Bamonte. Tony died on July 11, 2019, with his loving wife, Suzanne, by his side. He was a cherished husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, friend, and public servant. We will forever miss his piercing blue eyes, his electric smile, great sense of humor, and, most of all, his kind and loving heart. During Tony's early years, local police were summoned to the home on domestic violence calls. The kindness, comfort, and sense of protection from the officers inspired him to become a policeman. When Tony was six, his mother abandoned the family, leaving Louie to raise Tony, his older brother Dale, and younger sister Star. Though a strict disciplinarian, Louie loved his children and embraced the huge responsibility. In 1949, he moved the family to the country north of Metaline Falls in Pend Oreille County, Washington, where he labored as a logger and miner. Yet Louie did not overlook the importance of teaching his children impeccable manners, ethics, an appreciation for music and literature, and compassion toward all living things. At a very young age, Tony began working with his father in the woods making cedar fence posts and poles. He never quit grieving his death from silicosis in 1966. Soon after graduating from Metaline Falls High School in 1961, Tony left his job at the Pend Oreille Mines to join the Army. After serving in the military police with his K-9, he was sent to Vietnam in mid-1963. Among other assignments, he flew 42 combat missions as a helicopter door gunner, for which he received the Air Medal for meritorious achievement. He was shot down twice and, as a result of injuries, received a Purple Heart. Tony spent 26 years in law enforcement. In 1966, he took the civil service exam to join the Spokane Police Department, scoring fourth out of 90 applicants. During the next eight years, he served on the SPD's first SWAT team and five years as a motorcycle patrolman. In 1974, Tony left the SPD to take a political appointment as deputy for the Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office, followed by three terms as the county's elected sheriff. In 1989, he solved the nation's oldest active murder case, about which New York Times reporter Timothy Egan wrote the best-selling "Breaking Blue." The book recounts Tony's exposure of corruption in the Depression-era Spokane Police Department, including the murder of a Newport, Wash., marshal by a Spokane detective during a 1935 creamery heist. As a result of this book and Tony's other high-profile, and sometimes controversial, efforts to serve justice, he often found himself in the spotlight. He neither sought nor felt completely at ease with it but accepted the attention as part of his duty to a higher good. Still, it often came at a personal price when he occasionally crossed public officials in his dogged determination to reveal the truth. But it's the depth of character he brought to his role as an officer that will be most remembered. He lived by his oath to serve the public, particularly while protecting society's most vulnerable. His high degree of integrity, ever-ready willingness to be of help, and the pursuit of truth underlay his law-enforcement career, as well as how he conducted his life. During his years in law enforcement, Tony also pursued higher education, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Whitworth College in 1974 and a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in 1990. His master's thesis provided some of the primary source material for "Breaking Blue" and was the basis for his book "Sheriffs, 1911-1989, A History of Murders in the Wilderness of Washington's Last County," published in 1991. In 1990, Tony's first marriage, to Betty Williams, ended in divorce. She had two young sons, Todd and Ken, when they married. Their son Louis was born in 1969. In 1994, Tony married Suzanne Schaeffer, then a longtime resident of Seattle who had also been raised in Metaline Falls. They were just 20 days shy of their 25th anniversary when Tony died. Tony and Suzanne shared a passion for Inland Northwest history and together founded Tornado Creek Publications to publish their own works and eventually those of other local historians. Collectively, they wrote 14 books (ten they coauthored and four written by Tony). Tony was unstinting with his time and resources for anyone working on a Northwest history project. He was a true renaissance man, but writing on the topic of history, the last of his varied careers logging, mining, law enforcement, construction, real estate was especially fulfilling. He was happiest when at work writing and studying history, especially when at least one of their many cats was lounging on his desk. Even at the end, he still had a book project underway. Tony is survived by his wife Suzanne, son Lou Bamonte, stepsons Todd and Ken Bamonte, brother Dale Bamonte, five grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Tony's parents and sister Star preceded him in death. If anyone wishes to make a donation in Tony's memory, please consider SpokAnimal or Hospice of Spokane for such attentive care in his final days. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 24 at 2:00 p.m. in the Grand Pennington Ballroom of the historic Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St., Spokane. Please visit www.HennesseyFuneralHomes.com for a more detailed account of Tony's life or to leave personal reminiscences.