ANTONIO "TONY" CHEIMIS

CHEIMIS Antonio Cheimis "Tony" USAF (Ret.) Died on Monday, May 10, 2021 at the age of 94 at his residence and in the presence of his family in Silver Spring, MD. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and of Lithuanian heritage, Tony was married to his wife, Patricia, for 70 years. He was a devoted father to his two children, Gary (Valarie) Cheimis and Julie (Rob) Simmons and proud grandfather to six grandchildren, Nik Cheimis, Lillian Cheimis, Sarah Cheimis, AJ Cheimis, Kevin Banner and Marli Banner. His surviving family in Brazil include his sister, Nena Pugliesi, and two nieces, Marli and Maria Tereza. Tony graduated from high school in Brazil and travelled to the US in 1946 on a Victory ship. In the US, he continued his education by ttending classes at Georgetown University and also working there as a librarian. His military career included time in the US Army and US Air Force, and as a civilian supporting the US Naval Academy. He advanced his education in the military as well by attending eight months schooling at Shepard AFB for advanced technical training. Tony was a gifted master mechanic. He was equally comfortable under the cowling of a USAF T-33 T-bird checking the compressor as he was under the hood of a Corvette-Lister adjusting the fuel system before a big race. He had sophisticated equipment in his basement for adjusting distributors and carburetors yet he could fix a broken set of points in an outboard motor in a boat floating in the middle of the Jacksonville river with the foil from a pack of cigarettes. He always had an engine to fix for a friend. This could be anyone from a relative or neighbor to a US congressman or country and western singer. He also worked on his own car, at one point doing a weekly valve job to keep it running another week. Much of his technical education was also self-taught through researching documentation and networking with other experts. He once had to take a test to show his proficiency with diesel engines. In spite of being a unique engine type he had never encountered, he scored highest on the test and was awarded the job. He was recognized as an outstanding supervisor by the Career Service Awards Program for the US Navy. He belonged to both the Elk's Lodge #15 and the American Legion Post #268. Tony was both a faithful Washington Redskins football fan and an avid fisherman. Whether it was deep sea, fly casting, surf casting, trolling, chumming or just standing on the dock telling somebody to throw him a fish, Tony always came home with a fish he had caught. He also enjoyed playing golf. At the first tee he always pulled out his 1 iron and quoted Lee Trevino saying, "Always hold up a 1 iron if there is lightning because even God can't hit a 1 iron." Tony would then proceed to knock it right down the middle and set up his next shot every time. Traveling to visit relatives and friends in Brazil and the US was another favorite pastime for Tony. At every gathering you could count on him giving his favorite toast: "Health, Love and Money... in that order." His funeral service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Montgomery County Hospice or Wounded Warriors Project. Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20853 Donation Department. Wounded Warriors Project, Attn Advance Guard, P.O.Box 758518, Topeka, KS 66675Wounded Warriors Project, Attn Advance Guard, P.O.Box 758518, Topeka, KS 66675