Anthony Emil Pazarena

Tony Pazarena, age 70, of Columbia, South Carolina went to be with the Lord on July 22, 2026.

His greatest love was his family and his faith in Jesus Christ. He cherished his role as a husband, father, and grandfather, and nothing brought him more joy than spending time with his kids and his 13 grandchildren. He is survived by his beloved wife of 17 years, Connie; his five children: Eric, Aaron, Josh, Anna, and Brooklyn; his siblings, Alex, John, and Marianne; as well as many grandchildren, great-grandchild, nieces, and nephews.He was a man of deep faith who loved attending church, participating in men's retreats, and connecting with his community groups.

He was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 11, 1956, and grew up there alongside his four siblings: Alex, Ginny, John, and Marianne. From the beginning he had an unshakable love for the outdoors. He spent countless hours fishing, hiking, camping, and flipping over rocks and logs in search of wildlife. There was truly never a critter he didn't want to catch and keep as a pet—including turtles, salamanders, lizards, snakes, and even skunks. He especially loved spending time swimming and fishing with his family at their cottage. It was there that a muskrat bit his index finger, leaving it permanently pointing upward—a legendary childhood story he truly loved to retell throughout his life.

He later moved to Grand Island, Nebraska where he began his career as an incredibly gifted artist, eventually starting his own Sign Company. He blessed his community with beautiful murals and commercial signs, and became highly specialized in the meticulous art of pinstriping and custom airbrush artwork on semi-trucks. In 2008, Tony relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, where he continued to share his talents working at a local sign company.

He was a man who brought rhythm and joy into everyday moments through his deep love of music. Whether he was at home or in the car, music was always playing. He particularly loved Gordon Lightfoot, The Moody Blues, Fleetwood Mac, and Billy Joel. While he wasn't particularly well-tuned, he would happily sing along to every song.

While he will be deeply missed, his family finds immense comfort and peace in knowing that he is now in Heaven, completely healed, in the presence of his Savior and reunited with the loved ones who went before him.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.