Obituary of Col. Henry George Anthony
Colonel Henry George “Hank” Anthony, Jr. was born May 3, 1945 in Spokane, WA, and passed away December 9, 2020 in Joliet, IL.
Colonel Anthony is survived by his wife of 54 years, KayAnn; four children, Tracey (Miguel) Lopez, John (Nuri) Anthony, Ann (Rich) Weinholtz, and William Anthony; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is the eldest of eight children and has many nieces and nephews.
In the words of his wife, “Hank and I have been blessed with an extraordinary life. We have seen almost every state in the U.S. We have experienced shopping in Argentina, a rodeo in Uruguay, the taxi ride in Brazil, and skiing in the Panama Canal. We have seen the moons of Jupiter from Hawaii, the cherry blossoms in Japan, the streets of Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Dead Sea, and Masada. We have four wonderful children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. How God has blessed us! We have friends all over the country. Hank has been my confidant, partner, and best friend, as well as the love of my life. We have raised the most amazing children. Life could not get any better.
Colonel Henry “Hank” George Anthony Jr. is a war hero who served in the U.S. Army for twenty-nine years. He loved his country. Col. Anthony graduated from Officer Candidate School and Airborne School and started his journey as a brand-new 2nd Lieutenant. He served in Vietnam as an Infantry Officer earning among other medals and honors the Combat Infantryman Badge. On his second combat tour, Col. Anthony flew the Cobra gun ship helicopter. During his career he was accepted and attended the prestigious War College and the Command Staff College.
Some of Col. Anthony’s other significant assignments included Headquarters Commandant for the 193rd Brigade in Panama, Adjutant at School Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia, ROTC Senior Army Instructor at the University of Oregon and Senior Advisor of a Reserve Unit in Illinois. Col. Anthony retired in 1993, receiving the coveted Legion of Merit Medal. He was highly respected by his commanders, peers and subordinates. We salute this outstanding veteran for his service and dedication to our country.
After retiring from the Army, for the next 20 years he went on to work for the State of Illinois Criminal Justice Authority where he was highly regarded.
Services with Military Honors under the auspices of the United States Army will be presented on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 at 11:30 a.m., at the Plainfield American Legion Marne Post 13, 24741 Renwick Road, Plainfield, IL 60544.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home. For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit his Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com
