Obituary of Anthony Rodrigues

Tony passed away at home in his sleep on Monday, March 15, 2010 after a year long battle with Brain Cancer. He was very determined to not ever give up. Tony was born on March 31, 1953 in Salinas, CA and raised in Gonzales, CA. Tony attended Hartnell Jr. College in Salinas and for a short period Chico State University. He enjoyed camping with family and friends, also target shooting and has been known on more than one occasion to be "The Best Shot". In 1975 he opened his business, Economy Foreign Car Parts. He had an amazing knowledge and love for British Sports Cars. In the 1980's, for about 12 years, Tony put on The Dam Thing sports car rally which took many cars on great adventures to Lake Tahoe and Reno. After that he was active with The Chico British Car Club. Tony was a member of HMSA (Historic Motor Sports Association) since 1993. Vintage and Historic automobile racing was a passion. He enjoyed racing his 1954 Devin Panhard along side his father, Alva until his death in 2003. He raced at Thunderhill, Laguna Seca, Reno, Portland and Sears Point. Tony's last race was in August 2008 at Laguna Seca in Monterey. He could tell you race stories for hours. In November 2003 Tony became certified to scuba dive and was very excited to accomplish his 100th dive in Cozumel in 2007. Tony leaves behind his wife, Cynthia "Cy" Rodrigues; two sons, Lucas and Jake, both of Chico; his mother, Joanne Rodrigues of Gonzales; sister, Cindy Rodrigues of Paradise; brothers, Phil Rodrigues of Salinas, Ken Rodrigues of Gonzales and Brian Rodrigues of Salinas, along with many great friends. Funeral Services for Tony will be held at Our Divine Savior Catholic Church on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Graveside Service at Glen Oaks Memorial Park. Because Tony was bed ridden for so long, we know his wish would be for everyone to be active and enjoy life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to American Cancer Society , c/o Brusie Funeral Home.