North Conway, NH--Anthony “Tony” Horton, 46, formerly of North Conway, N.H. passed away unexpectedly at his residence in Providence, Rhode Island on December 19, 2013. He was born on May 17, 1967 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Antonetta and Felice Ricciardiello of Salem, Massachusetts. He is survived by his parents, Ann and Charles Horton of Williamsburg, Virginia, his sister and brother-in-law, Cathy Ann and Robert Sanford of Kapolei, Hawaii, as well as many close and dear friends and caring family in the Armstrong, Coppolino, Horton, and Ricciardiello families.
Tony graduated from Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia in 1985 and soon after joined the United States Marine Corps. He served with honors in both peace and war during the Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm as infantry platoon Sergeant earning several commendation ribbons and medals: Navy Achievement, Kuwaiti Liberation, Humanitarian Service Combat Action and the National Defense Medal. He was honorably discharged after exemplary military service in 1992.
Tony enrolled at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing in May, 1996. In addition, he also received an Associate degree in Surveying at New Hampshire Community Technical College in 2005. Tony has been working at Tesla Offshore, LLC., a Houston, Texas based company, as a special projects hydrographic surveyor since 2006, working on challenging offshore construction projects and was consistently recognized for his expertise in his profession.
In Tony’s free time, he enjoyed kayaking all seasons of the year, snowboarding, wilderness camping, scuba diving, reading good books and deep conversation. He was so kind and funny, had a wry sense of humor and was an original thinker. He loved living life and having fun. He was adventurous, outgoing, quick-witted and made friends wherever he went. He will be forever missed by all his family, those who knew him even for a short time, his co-workers, and his long time close friends. Tony touched our lives with kindness, sensitivity, a true sense of fairness to all and generosity of spirit and, of course, laughter. The stars will shine a little dimmer because he is not here among us.
A Memorial Service and testimonials/anecdotes will be held in the Carriage House of the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 10:00 AM.
Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Laconia, New Hampshire.
In lieu of flowers, perform random acts of kindness in Tony’s memory.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements.