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Anthony “Tony” van den Heuvel

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Anthony “Tony” van den Heuvel, 89, of Fountain Hills, AZ, passed away on December 27, 2024, peacefully in his home after a long struggle with dementia. Tony was born on May 24, 1935, in West Worthing, England, the youngest of six children and also a twin. Though he spent most of his younger years in England, the family spent several years during World War II in British Guiana (now Guyana). This time was often referred to fondly by the siblings as their time in “BG”.
Tony’s educational summit was graduating from Imperial College with a PhD in Physics. Tony met and married Maria Brand on June 17, 1961 after 5 years of courtship. Then in 1962, Tony and Maria, along with their 3-week-old son, Paul, set sail for a new life in America. The family settled in Homewood, IL (southwest suburbs of Chicago) where the family expanded with the birth of three more children (Judi, Neil, Jackie). Tony worked for the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) at the Research Institute and, for a short time, also taught Physics at the university.
1976 saw the van den Heuvel family moving to the northwest suburbs when Tony joined the Research Team at Motorola Inc. Although the older four children were in their early teens, the family was blessed with the addition of two more children in 1978 (Joe) and 1979 (Tracy). Tony was promoted to Vice President in 1989 which then led to opportunities for him out of state. Tony, Maria, and the younger two children spent 1 ½ years in Fort Lauderdale, FL, about 5 years in Windlesham, England, and then 2 more living outside of Paris. In 1997, Motorola moved Tony and Maria, now empty nesters, back to the US, to Fountain Hills, where he soon retired.
Sadly, Tony lost his beloved Maria to cancer on November 30, 2009. He was fortunate to then meet and marry Ann (Bilek) Maruska in 2012. Tony and Ann have lived in Fountain Hills for 12 years now and were active members of Church of The Ascension.
Tony is survived by his wife Ann, son Paul (Maureen) and grandchildren Ellen Holt (JonHenry) and Anthony (Madisyn); daughter Judi Seguy (Robert) and grandchildren Jennifer Flores (Ismael) and Claire Byrnes (Sean); daughter Jackie Rategan (Daniel) and grandchildren Blake (Christine) and Jessica Weeden (Rob); son Neil and grandchildren Christiana Yost (Austin) and Hannah Otto (Lucas); son Joe (Alison) and grandchildren Kara, James and Rachel; and daughter Tracy Laskos and grandchild Charlotte. He was also the great grandfather to: Beau van den Heuvel, Noah and Maya Flores, Haley and Finn Byrnes, Korban and Hesed Yost, Elsbeth and Oakley Otto, Ben Weeden-Howard, and Gabe Weeden.
A Memorial Mass is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Saturday, January 18, 2025, Church of the Ascension, Fountain Hills, AZ. Internment will follow at Saint Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix.
In thanks for their exceptional care and support of Tony during his final days, the family would be grateful for any donations to be made to Hospice of the Valley (https://www.hov.org/).

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