Anton Brandstetter Jr.

Anton Brandstetter, Jr., 1919-2013. Succumbed following complications from minor surgery on 10/10/13, age 94. Survived by his wife of 67 years, Mildred; his sister Anne of Bethlehem, PA; his brother Fred of Merlin, OR; sons Jon, Jim, Brian, Bruce, and daughter Greta, and their spouses; five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Tony served in the Army in WWII with General Patton's 93rd Mechanized Cavalry Squadron and fought through France and Germany, ending in Austria when Hitler surrendered. After an honorable discharge, he married Mildred Nicholas and moved to Brush, Colorado. There he joined the National Guard in a unit that was activated in 1951 for the Korean war. He was sent to the Army Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany in charge of the Medical Personnel for 1 1/2 yrs. On his return he continued to serve in the National Guard and Army Reserves until retiring in 1979 with the rank of Captain. Tony had a very full life outside the military. He started with Mountain Bell in Brush in 1946 as a lineman and installer. In 1956 he transferred to Grand Junction, CO to help convert to the dial system and remained there working on the Toll Test Board. In 1965 he was transferred to Cortez, CO as district manager for 1 1/2 years until that office was consolidated into Durango. He returned to Grand Junction and worked at the Toll Test Board, serviced the microwave towers that linked Western Colorado and occasionally installed radios in the company trucks until he retired in 1981. Tony was active in his community for his entire life. He served as Scoutmaster and Cubmaster in Brush and remained active with Scouting in Grand Junction. There he also managed a Little League baseball team, served on the Junction Bell Credit Union board, installed Medic-Alert links between private homes and the St Mary's Hospital Emergency room, served as Division Lt. Governor for Toastmasters International, and often volunteered at the V.A. hospital. In 1994, he and Milly moved to Thornton, CO (Denver area) to be closer to family and he continued to volunteer, this time at the Adams County School District offices. He had memberships in St John's Lutheran Church, The American Legion, MOAA & TROA. He enjoyed spending time with his family, the great outdoors, hiking, traveling the U.S. in his motor home (he & Milly visited every state), plus trips to China, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Austria, and Hawaii. They took cruises to Alaska, the Panama Canal and down the Rhine and Danube Rivers from Holland to Hungary. In his later years he and Milly would spend 6 "winter" months in Arizona where he loved to play card and board games, shuffleboard and dancing.