Anthony Czyz

Anthony Czyz, of New Port Richey, FL, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58 on April 25, 2023. He is survived by his daughter, Alexa Janoski; his brothers, Robert and Vincent; his sister, Maria; his mother, Louise Jaworski; and his stepfather, Walt Jaworski. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert E. Czyz, Sr.

Born in Orange, NJ, on April 15, 1965, he grew up in Wanaque, NJ. He won a state title as a Junior Olympic boxer and became a wrestler in high school. Eventually, however, he devoted himself to hockey and was good enough as a goalie get the attention of several NHL scouts. Tony, as he was known to his friends, was a graduate of Lakeland Regional High School and later attended Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, GA. After returning to New Jersey, he set up a successful chiropractic practice.

Tony was as likely to tune in to a doo-wop station or listen to ’70s pop as he was to play an album by Led Zeppelin or Metallica. He loved muscle cars, held James Dean in high esteem, and often said he’d been born in the wrong decade. He enshrined a 1979 Trans Am (if you called it a Firebird, you’d get an earful). He spent endless hours on the car, restoring the interior, putting a 400 big block engine in it, and racing it at a track. He was a whiz with electronics and could rewire a car (mechanics sometimes consulted him on electrical problems). Tony also inhabited the Marvel Universe when it was hardly bigger than a solar system, collecting comics for decades and amassing a collection of thousands of issues. He lived much of his life in Bloomingdale, NJ, where he enjoyed hosting get-togethers with his closest friends, to whom he was intensely loyal. He was soothed by a roaring fire and loved winter evenings spent by the hearth with his three Siberian huskies.

Although he was 5’ 8”, he was a solid 215 pounds and handled himself well enough to work as a bouncer in Georgia, using the money to help pay for school. He could be intimidating, blunt, and somewhat gruff, but more often he was lively, funny, and surprisingly witty; it was never hard to find him in a room no matter how many other people were in it. He was also deeply sentimental, treasuring a small collection of keepsakes and writing songs that tended toward the melancholy.

While Tony left a lasting impression on virtually everyone he met, attested to by his numerous friends around the country, he seemed unaware of how unforgettable he was.

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