Anthony ‘Tony’ Charles Keyes, son of Madam Nadene Keyes, was born on June 16, 1954 in Modesto, California. He was proud of being raised by his strong-willed, independent mother who helped shape his good morals and strong ethics, and taught him to stand up for what’s right. He went to school and graduated from high school in Modesto, California in 1972. He left a lot of long lasting, good impressions on many people, including childhood friends he created memories with when they were all very young, and especially being there for Pam Shumate during her family’s tragedy. A piece of his heart was always in Modesto; his face always lit up talking about it. Tony married his first wife and high school sweetheart Janice Arlene Ehresman, also a Modesto HS graduate, on September 8, 1973 when they were 18 and 19, respectively. He joined the United States Air Force and being kids themselves, the marriage had a rough start and they ended up separated for many years.

Tony really enjoyed being in the USAF, was proud of his service and at one point was stationed in Aviano, Italy. He really liked talking about his tour in Italy to anyone who would listen, (he made you listen). When he left the service in 1977, he was Honorably Discharged from the United States Air Force as Airman First Class. He met Barbara Manuel while he was stationed at McGuire AFB, and they traveled crosscountry trading the East coast for the West coast and settling in his grandmother’s old house. He worked a modest job as a security guard, they made fond memories trying to make it work as young adults for some years, but it came to an end and they remained lifelong friends.

Eventually, Anthony and Janice reunited and in 1995 moved to a small, beautiful ranch in Sulphur, Oklahoma where they planned to spend the rest of their lives. They dreamt of advancing her career in rodeos and running a horse ranch, but life didn’t turn out that way. Janice fell ill and passed away the following year from cancer. She loved horses, was an award winning barrel racer and Tony kept her memory alive by taking care of the ranch, never leaving, and raising the horses. For many years thereafter, he took special care of her favorite blue ribbon horse, Chapelle, who got to live a pampered life with her own extra-wide stall with extra oats until she went out to pasture for the last time. He kept all their horses through the years and raised them until all that was left was his favorite stallion, Homer, who also got to live out the rest of his days eating green grass on familiar pastures, just as Tony always hoped.

He worked at Hanover for many years, VE, and CUDD. He enjoyed the small social scene around the area where he eventually met a new friend and fell in love with his second wife, Dorothy Larsen (Currie). Dorothy had four children: Lisa, Michelle, Kari and James. Tony never had any children of his own, and it showed at first, but those kids grew on him just like he grew on us. He healed our hearts and helped us through troubled times throughout his life, and we helped him heal, too. Tony and Dorothy married years later on May 2, 2003. He was there as a father. Together with our mother, he bought us our first junkers when we were teenagers, helped us get into college, helped us get on our feet when we stumbled as young adults and then got to enjoy our kids as a grandpa when we turned into successful adults due in part to his guidance and love. When life was throwing us curveballs and knocking us down, we’d talk to Dad and he’d help us get back on the right track. He and his wife, Dorothy (Tomita) Currie, took care of his mother and his former mother-in-law for years so they could live comfortably in their own home in their golden years. His mother, Nadene, passed away here in 2013.

This marriage didn’t work out, but we kept calling him Dad and kept him involved with our families after the divorce in 2015. He may not have had any relatives in the area, but we made sure he knew he was one of us and that he was loved. Tony also loved NASCAR, reading books, playing pool, working on his trucks, going out to have a good time and drinking beer. In his later years he travelled, and enjoyed spending time with family, friends, and taking care of his ranch and horses. He’d randomly call to say hello, give some life advice, or stop by to check in and see how you’re doing. He left this Earthly toil on May 22, 2025 of natural causes. He may have been far from his loved ones when he passed, but we found him to give a proper goodbye to our ‘Dad’.

Tony loved God and he was proud of his Catholic heritage. In his later years, he repaired his relationship with God and attended the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and we have fond memories of attending masses together as part of a family tradition for the holidays during his second marriage that continued long after. He was more spiritual and at ease in his later years, and attended church when he was able to, up until his passing. We are disappointed that there wasn’t an opportunity to give Anthony Keyes a proper Catholic funeral with his loved ones in attendance, but he’ll know we know and for him this would be enough. The Lord teaches us to forgive, and may God have mercy on the sinner who’d keep his friends and loved ones in ignorance of his death whilst we were looking for Pawpaw and our Dad, through 5 birthdays and Father’s Day never knowing he was gone, because his baby girl Mic does not.

At peace and reunited, Tony joins his mother, Nadene Keyes, and first wife, Janice, along with her mother, Shirley Ehresman, with Our Father in Heaven, may their horses be waiting for them in the evergreen meadows. He leaves behind loved ones his cousin Andrea (Michael) Texeira now in South Carolina; friend and ex-wife Dorothy (Larry) Currie and several loved ones he lovingly called his children the rest of his life and we lovingly called him Dad, because he was in every sense of the word: former stepchildren: Lisa Ann Tomita, Michelle ‘Mic’ Sullivan, Kari Larsen, James (Stephanie) Larsen; and their collective children, who lovingly called him Pawpaw: John Richards, Marie Keyes, Jace and Jaylee Larsen, Juliette and Michael Sullivan; lifelong friends Pam Shumate, Barbara Manuel, and many, many others.

We love you, till we meet again.

Pictured: Anthony, Kari Larsen, James Larsen, John Richards, Michelle Sullivan

Pictured: Lisa Tomita, Anthony, Kari Larsen, Michelle Sullivan, Marie Keyes

Pictured: Stephanie and James Larsen, Kari Larsen with friend, Anthony, Marie Keyes, Michelle Sullivan