Tony Roger Stinnett of Surfside Beach, Texas, went to Heaven to be with his Lord on Monday, February 4, 2019 at his son’s residence in Austin, Texas, after a long and brave fight against liver cancer. He was 69 years old.
Born in Botetourt County in 1949 to Thomas Edward Stinnett and Mary Smith (Stinnett) Eubank, Tony spent his early years running the Blue Ridge Mountains, fishing the James River, and causing general mischief of one kind or another. After a stint touring the US with the Navy, Tony settled down in Roanoke. It is there where he welcomed his eldest, Kelly Elizabeth Stinnett, and married his lifelong spouse, Sandie Barton Stinnett, followed by the birth of their son, Todd Lee Stinnett.
Tony Stinnett fell in love with Highland County, Va. while visiting to remodel “The Crow’s Nest,” former home of Captain and Arlene Barton. In 1989, he would relocate his family to those mountains he called home for the next 28 years. Those mountains and close-knit community would help shape Tony into the fun and loving man we all remember today.
Tony was extremely active in the Highland County Community. He was instrumental in Highland Little League, as an elder at Monterey Presbyterian Church, in town council, in planning commission, in the AA community, as well as being good for a smile at some point in your day throughout town.
Tony Stinnett had a love for all things old. Reclaimed lumber and antique trucks were among his favorite. Most of all, he loved the hunt. For Tony, no greater joy could be found than riding back roads in a beat up classic truck, with a tiny dog on his hip. For Tony, the adventure wasn’t the destination, but the road there.
More than anything, Tony Stinnett will be remembered for his love of people. Tony was a passionate family man, but could also find endless joy in simply chatting up a stranger. He put out in the universe 10,000 laughs for every 1 tear. It was his self-appointed mission to help anyone who seemed a little lost or off their path in life, as he had once been. Some will remember the sound of Tony’s green ‘69 Chevy rolling down the road, or the smell of his famous maple BBQ chicken wafting through the air, or ironic look of a burly man adorned in red Converse All-Stars, with some miniature dog or another in tow. All who knew him will remember his hand touching your shoulder, that special gleam in his eye, and that wide smile peaking through whiskers.
Tony Stinnett is survived by his wife, Sandra Stinnett; daughter, Kelly Stinnett; son, Todd Stinnett and his wife Sara; grandchildren, Alexandra Barbour, Smith and Dylan Stinnett; siblings, Nancy Deacon, Clarence Stinnett and wife Linda, and Mike Cox, as well as countless other family and friends.
A Celebration of Tony’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 4, at Monterey Presbyterian Church in Monterey, Va. Interment will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, in Fairview Cemetery, Buchanan, Va.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please show an act of kindness to the next fellow human you come across that happens to be struggling. That is what Tony Stinnett would have wanted.
