Anthony Andrew Endres

Birth: May 23, 1944 | Died: September 15, 2024

Tony was born on May 23, 1944 to Norbert Andrew and Bernice Evelyn Moberly Endres, in Charleston, West Virginia. At the age of 80, he passed into Eternal Life on September 15, 2024 in Placentia, California, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Dementia and Parkinson’s disease. As a child, Tony grew up in a 2-bedroom house on Hanna Drive, before moving into a 3-story house on Elm Street which was just down the block from St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and school where he attended Mass and grade school. Many alterations and renovations were made to the first and second houses to accommodate the ever-growing family which eventually totaled thirteen children: Joe, Tony, Anne, Gerry, Theresa, Mike, Margaret, Mary, Frank, John, Patrick, Jude and Joan. His parents, devout Catholics, purchased a statue of each child’s saint at their birth, and prayed the Rosary as a family, on their knees, every evening in the living room. After graduating from grade school, Tony attended Fidelis High School Seminary in Pennsylvania through most of his senior year, but finished up at Charleston Catholic High School. Upon graduation from Charleston Catholic, he attended drafting classes in the evening, while he worked during the day. He joined the army, married his first wife, then together they had five children: Mary Elizabeth, Theresa Rose [m.Terry Moses], Tony Jr., Margaret Ann [m.Jamey Reader] and Michael [m.Sandi]. He moved around from West Virginia to Ohio to Corpus Christi, Texas, where his National Guard unit was activated when hurricane Celia made a direct hit on Corpus Christi in August 1970 and he had to leave his family to help with rescues and guard the city against looting. Later, he worked in the Structural Steel Industry as a draftsman, owned his own business for several years then got a call from a friend he did business with, to come out to California and manage their office in Carson. He and Tony Jr. put as much as they could fit into his small car and headed West. At one point, during their trip, he hit a deer which bent his fender to the point where he wasn’t able to drive the car. So he got out, bent the fender back so the car was drivable, and continued on down the highway. By this time, Tony was single and his two youngest children came out to visit. Michael, soon to enter high school, decided he wanted to stay in California, so the three ‘men’ moved into a house in Fountain Valley. Michael entered Fountain Valley High School where he joined the band. When Jeane’s middle daughter, Jessica, entered FV high school 2 years later, the kids met each other in band and became friends. Both Tony and Jeane volunteered with the band. She saw how much Tony loved God and cared for his children, as did Jeane of God and her own, and eventually became friends, too. After being friends and dating for 10 years, she agreed to marry Tony, which took place on November 2, 2002. Hence the perfect choice for this date to memorialize Tony at the last Mass they will attend together: their 22nd wedding anniversary. Tony belonged to many organizations through the years, as he lived his devout life, coached his kids’ various teams, drove kids on the bus to their sports events and participated in many school and church events and programs. And though they were all rewarding and fulfilling, he most enjoyed helping anyone and everyone. He loved being a Knight of Columbus and was the Grand Knight for his council in Corpus Christi, as well as two terms at Santa Clara de Asis council 13311, along with other officer positions, throughout the years. He continued going to the Knights’ meetings (when he could no longer drive) and his brother Knights selflessly offered him rides. While working with the Knights, he became great friends with them and their families. He served the homeless in Santa Ana’s Isaiah House (first Sunday’s of the month with Jeane and brother knights and their wives) and other days with Dwight and Leah and the staff from Isaiah House, the Armory, the civic center homeless—living in tents and boxes on the courthouse grounds, and other shelters around Orange County. In teams with 1 - 2 other men, he also served in the ‘Outside Ministry’ for men who were being released from the O.C. jail in the middle of the night. They offered them personal items, water, snacks, clean socks and participated in conversation with them to keep drug dealers from approaching as they were let out. He and Jeane also worked in Huntington Beach with Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church and other churches in the community S.H.I.P. (Shelter for Homeless Interfaith Program) ministry as overnight sponsors and stayed in the hall with the homeless after dinner until they were released in the morning to go on job interviews during the day. Tony was SCdA’s Head Sacristan, who trained and scheduled volunteer sacristans to prepare necessary items used for distribution of the Holy Eucharist during Mass. He and Jeane were also a Eucharistic Ministers. He was involved with money counting on Monday’s and, with a fellow parishioner, getting the deposit to the bank. In his most recent years until Covid hit, he volunteered at St. Francis Grammar school, helping Mr. Raul Rodriguez with jobs around the campus, to help out, but also to rack up much-needed volunteer hours for 2 of his grandsons who attended SFA! Tony loved God, the Trinity, the Blessed Mother so much, yet would always speak of not being worthy and verbalized that he ‘hoped’ to go to heaven. One time, when Tony filled in for a cup position during Communion at the Easter Vigil Mass, he was assigned the position at the back of the church. Jeane liked sitting in the back during the Vigil, because she loved seeing the converts getting baptized. Being in the back row, she was the last to receive the precious blood from the cup Tony held. Before he could say ‘the Blood of Christ’, he leaned the cup toward her and asked if she could see what was in the cup. She saw nothing, but asked him ‘what do YOU see?’ He replied, ‘the red dot, dark red. Don’t you see it?’ She didn’t, but said, ‘God allowed YOU to see His precious blood!’ Tony attended daily Mass, read his Magnificat, and said his Rosary at least twice every day until he was unable to remember the prayers. Jeane typed or wrote his prayers and put them in a binder so he could read them when he couldn’t remember the words. They would pray together when he didn’t remember the prayers or the words, even mouthing the prayers with his eyes closed as Jeane recited them to him. Even during his last days, Jeane would pray the prayers out loud and Tony would move his mouth to the words. On his last day of life on earth, Jeane lay beside Tony on his bed in the Memory Care Center. She had her arm around him holding the phone as it played Ave Maria over and over. She had her other hand on the pulse in his arm. She had told him several times that it was ok for him to go, but he held on. She finally called out loud, ‘God, call your son Home.’ Within a minute his heart beat its last and there was such unexplainable Peace! No more suffering. No more pain. Finally, in the arms of Our Heavenly King. One could only imagine Tony running around heaven volunteering to help God with any and every thing! May God grant you Eternal Rest, Sweet Tony. He is survived by his wife Jeane, 11 siblings, 5 children, 3 stepchildren: Jayme Ellynne Beck (m.Chris), Jessica Elyse Higgins (m.Josh) and Ryan Paul Christopher, and 23 grandchildren.