Obituary of Anthony William DeGroot

Anthony William DeGroot, 74, passed on August 31, 2016, with his loving wife by his side after a courageous battle with cancer. Tony was born in Norway, MI on January 13, 1942, and attended Michigan Technological University, graduating from Gannon University as a mechanical engineer. He became Plant Manager of GAF Corp. in Erie. Tony later joined Ahlstrom Filtration, Chattanooga, TN, from which he retired as CEO. After a successful career, he and his wife, Diane retired in beautiful Erie to rejoin their many friends, and to boat, fish, and ski. They enjoyed travelling and exploring other countries. Tony was a lifetime Packers fan and a member of St. Jude Parish. He was active with the St. Jude Senior Group, and was a former usher and member of the Knights of Columbus. Tony’s playful personality will be missed by all who knew him. Tony leaves behind his wife Diane (Bilski) of 51 years, daughters; Carrie Ayres(Michael), Stacey Snow (Rick), and three grandchildren; Alexa, Kyle, and Samantha. Tony was a big brother to; Jane Carlson (Daniel), David DeGroot (Trudy), and Linda St. Juliana (Gregory). He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Josephine (Roggeman) DeGroot. Friends can join the family at the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Rd. on Friday, September 9, 2016 from 4 to 8 p.m. and are invited to a Memorial Mass at St. Jude R.C. Church, 2801 West 6th Street, Erie, PA 16505 on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment will be in the Upper Peninsula of MI at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to remember Tony with donations to the Presque Isle Partnership, www.discoverpi.com/giving/memorial-donations, where a bench will be placed in his memory. Tony never met a bench he didn’t like.