Obituary: Anthony L. "Tony" Russos

DEERFIELD - Anthony L. "Tony" Russos, age 87, died on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, at the Stoughton Hospital. He was born in Milwaukee on June 20, 1922, the son of Louis and Fannie (Anagnostopoulos) Russos. He graduated from Madison Central High School. Tony and his father, Louis, owned and operated the Cat N Fiddle Tavern in the Town of Blooming Grove. He served in the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946. Tony married Helen Pappas of Ripon on Aug. 26, 1951. He would always tell everyone that he had married Helen because she knew the good fishing spots on Green Lake. And, yes, she really did. In 1954, he joined the Dane County Sheriff's Department where he started out in the "old" jail. When the department moved into the City-County Building, he worked in Administration, Civil Process, and was in charge of Boat Patrol and the Dane County Range. He retired at the rank of lieutenant. After the death of his father, the Cat N Fiddle was sold and they built a home on Lake Monona in 1961. In January 1981, Tony and Helen retired from the Sheriff's Department and moved to the Town of Presque Isle, north of Boulder Junction. There they enjoyed fishing and hunting, snowmobiling, boating and Tony's hobby, woodworking. In November 1995 they returned to the Madison area and settled in the Town of Sun Prairie near Cottage Grove and again built a new home. In 2003, they sold their home and moved into a condominium in Deerfield where Helen continued to be Tony's caregiver. In 2008, Tony went to live at Skaalen Nursing Home in Stoughton. Tony was a lifetime member and past president of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officers Association, Sheriff's and Deputy Sheriff's Association, life member of VFW Post 7591, past chairman of the board of Dane County Credit Union and district governor of GAPA (Greek-American Progressive Association). He attended the Smith-Wesson Gun School in Springfield, Mass., was a member of the Blooming Grove Volunteer Fire Department, past member and president of Presque Isle Sno Bunnies, past commander of the Madison Power Squadron, past president of the Fish and Wildlife Club of St. Germain, past president of Natural Lakes Owners Advancement Assoc., past president of Madison Sno-Drifters, and past member of the Wisconsin Governor's Snowmobile Council. Tony is survived by his wife, Helen; daughter, Niki (Joe Harris); and son, Ted. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his St. Bernards, Heidi, Puddles and Rascal. At Tony's request he will be cremated and there will be no funeral services. There will be a private burial at Roselawn Memorial Park at a later date. Memorials will be made to the Dane County Humane Society, 5132 Voges Road, Madison, WI 53718, in memory of Tony. Gunderson East Funeral and Cremation Centers 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on September 20, 2009