Tony Tomlyanovich, 83, of Cedar Falls, passed away Thursday, September 20, 2007, at Sartori Memorial Hospital. He was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, on February 29, 1924, the son of Anthony and Helen (Rodosevic) Tomlyanovich. He was looking forward to celebrating his 21st birthday in 2008. Tony served his country during World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant. After the war, he entered the restaurant business, and in 1958 he moved to Waterloo, where he opened Tony's La Pizzeria on Sycamore Street. He opened on College Hill in 1966. Tony's is the oldest pizzeria in the Cedar Valley; his legacy--and his pizza--can still be found at Tony's Trattoria on 4th Street in Waterloo. Tony prided himself on fresh, made-from-scratch food, and up until very recently still supervised grinding the fresh sausage, making the sauce, and rolling the dough. He was a man of varied interests who was always a willing conversationalist with friends and customers alike. He was an active member of the Elk's Lodge in Waterloo.
Tony married Maxine Weikert in 1962 in The Little Brown Church in Nashua. He is survived by his children, Tony and Corrine, his daughter-in-law, Amy, and a longtime friend, Jim Slater; a grandson, T.J.; his brother, James, of Roseville, Minnesota, and his sister, Mary Mantini of Reno, Nevada. He was preceded in death by his parents; Maxine Tomlyanovich; and his brothers, Tom, George, Joe, and John.
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:30 am Saturday at St. Patrick Catholic Church, with burial in Greenwood Cemetery, both in Cedar Falls. A Celebration of Life will follow at Tony's Trattoria (3251 W. 4th St, Waterloo). Public visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center on the UNI campus, with a 7:30 p.m. Scripture service. Visitation also for one hour prior to the Mass Saturday at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Condolences may be left at the Richardson Funeral Service website.
Copyright Waterloo Courier, September 21, 2007, page A8.