Obituary of Anthony Rios Sr.

Anthony “Tony” Rios Sr., 74, died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City, Saturday, February 9, 2019.

Graveside services with military honors will be held at 1pm Saturday, February 16, 2019, at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Iowa City.  Visitation will be on Friday from 4 to 7 pm at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service.  In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in Tony’s memory to the Wellman Fire & Rescue. 

Antonio Rios was born June 14, 1944, in Temple, Texas the son of  Henry Rios Sr. and Binnie (Marquez) Rios. He and his family moved to Iowa City in 1950 where he grew up and attended schools.  Following graduation from high school he enlisted in the United States Army serving during the Vietnam War.  On November 29, 1969, he married Donna Ann Coyne.  The couple returned to this area and for many years he worked as a union postal worker.

Tony was a man of many likes, talents, quirks and other…He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, crazy fan of the LA Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys and NASCAR, especially Jeff Gordon.  Had played and umpired slow pitch soft ball, was an avid bowler, loved to travel, sometimes on the less traveled routes.  He was known to stop the car in the middle of the road to pick up a can for 5 cents, loved being a crossing guard in Wellman and Kalona, almost as much as the kids and their parents loved him!  But most important to this man was his family and his friends, nothing was better than everyone gathered and Tony was grilling away.

His family includes his wife of nearly 50 years, Donna; their children, Anthony Rios Jr. (Annie), Victoria Rios (Keith), Angela Jensen (Chris), Patrick Rios (Jane Wenman), Matthew Rios (Lynn), and B.J. Rios (Stacey); 14 grandchildren, Benny, Abbigail, Braeden, Dalton, Kevin, Liz, Jackson, Audrey, Mitchell, Easton, Connor, Kaleb, Kincade, and Tripton.  Tony’s siblings, John Rios (Geri Greiner), Mary Sekula (Ed), Frank Rios (Laura), Roy Rios (Diane), Henry Rios Jr. “Sicos”, Benny Rios (Margaret), and Thomas Rios (Wendy).

Tony was preceded in death by his parents, father-in-law, John Coyne; brothers, Emmett Rios, Raymond Rios and Ray Rios and his sister, Helen Gooden.