April 8th, 2019: It saddens me greatly to report that the one and only Tony WB2BEJ is gone......... The repeaters in the Capital District area of New York are safe again. ?Big Enormous Jugs? is a silent key.
We first met Tony in the late 1970s when he was working at the IBM factory in Essex Junction VT for Fairchild, a contractor. Tony was in residence at the Radisson Hotel in Burlington VT. His company was paying. We will always remember ?Club 604? which was his room. He showed up on the Mount Mansfield .94 repeater and quickly became a fixture on the nightly ?Hoot Owl? net.
Tony eventually moved into a townhouse in Essex Junction and for several years he kept us entertained and amused with his antics both on and off the air. To say Tony was a characteris an understatement.
Tony had a very interesting sense of humour. Those of us who knew him will know what I mean. Much of it went over peoples heads if they didn?t know him. ?Nuff said!
In the early Eighties Tony moved to Albany NY and found employment with the State of New York as a procurement agent purchasing electronics for the NY State Police. His kitchen table was piled high with Motorola radios that were sent to him for ?evaluation?. They are probably still there. In addition to his procurement functions Tony was also a tour guide at the NY State Capital Campus. Those tours must have been a riot.
?BEJ? quickly became a regular on the Capital District area repeaters and it was always a part of the journey through the area to stop and meet with him and his pals for coffee or a meal. Tony could quickly raise a wrecking crew at several area restaurants so a ham travelling through would never have to eat alone.
Tony loved to attend hamfests especially Hosstraders like Hosstraders, Rochester NY, Milton VT, Dayton and NEAR-Fest. Along with Mitch, W1SJ, Tony never missed the Dayton Hamvestion. To ensure his buddies had rooms every year Tony booked the entire hotel. I joined them a few times and the long drive to Dayton and back was a very interesting and entertaining experience as well as the hamfest itself. He would ?work? at the BatteryTech booth with his buddy Dave.
Tony was a master of the fine art of being in the right place at the right time. One time flying home from FL he managed to get a seat on the right side of the plane where he witnessed a perfect shuttle launch. As a member of the Loudonville NY Fire Police he went to New York City just after 9/11 and even got to have a couple meals on the cruise ship that was pressed into service as a command center.
Tonk knew everybody and everybody knew and liked Tony. He was totally in his element at any amateur radio gathering. He was one very funny guy and he will be sorely missed especially the funny faces and silly noises he would make on certain occasions.
He was a real piece of work! They broke the mold when they made T.
Ebbbbbbbbbbbbbb! Ira!
Only those who knew Tony will know what this means.
RIP my friend. You may be gone but never forgotten. The Albany NY repeaters are now being returned to normal amateur use.
MisterMike, W1RC
Tony?s obit as it appeared in the Albany Times-Union on April 10th, 2019:
Pazzola, Anthony J. Jr. LOUDONVILLE Anthony J. "Tony" Pazzola Jr., 70 of Loudonville, entered into eternal life on Monday, April 8, 2019 at Albany Medical Center. Born in Utica, N.Y. on October 26, 1948, he was the son of the late Anthony J. and Angeline (Palmieri) Pazzola Sr.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Korea. He was a procurement officer, employed by NYS Office of General Services for many years. He was a member of the Shaker Rd. Loudonville Fire Company and Westmere Fire Company, the American Legion Zaloga Post, the V.F.W., the D.A.V. in Lansingburgh. He was a volunteer with American Red Cross, the Urban Search and Rescue of Albany County, the NYS Fire Police Association, the F.O.O.L.S International, the 40 and 83rd District Cheminot and was NYS Director of V.A.V.S.
Tony was an avid amateur radio and HAM enthusiast with his handle being WB2BEJ and was active in many organizations especially in the Troy Amateur Radio Club.
