Anthony Verhagen

Anthony “Tony” Verhagen, age 80, passed away at home in Lucerne Valley, CA, on Saturday, March 27th, 2021, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. He was surrounded by his wife, children and loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

Tony was born to Antonius and Lien (pronounced Lean) Verhagen, on June 27, 1940, in Soerabaja (pronounced Seh-ra-baya), Java, Indonesia. Following the end of WWII, and at the age of seven, Anthony’s family moved from Indonesia to Holland, where he received his formal education, played soccer and was an altar boy at a Catholic school.

At 16, his family migrated to sunny California where he later met and married his wife of 61 years, Barbara Rose Van Tassel. During their 6 decade union, they were blessed to raise 10 children (6 children of their own and 4 who were fostered native american children), 24 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren (with 2 more great-grandchildren on the way).

As Parkinson’s began to restrict our father’s physical body, he was determined more than ever not let this disease hold him back from living a full life. He would continue to water his fruit trees, jump on the trampoline (to the delightful surprise of his grandchildren and shock of our Mom), exercise on his elliptical machine (again to the shock of our Mom) and participate as much as he could in family events and gatherings.

Tony’s life was one of faith, hard work, optimism and service. This was made evident when Tony and Barbara joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and dedicated their lives to raising their children on the teachings of the Gospel, and serving faithfully in various callings for the church. He was larger than life and endured in faith until the end.

A memorial service will be held on Friday April 16, 2021 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints (10865 Post Office Road, Lucerne Valley CA 92356) at 10:00am PST.

We will also stream via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91327072188?pwd=a0FBYXZWaUx4R0ZsRFBkMjh3eTYxZz09

Our father and patriarch will then be laid to rest at the Lucerne Valley Memorial Park.

To all who had the pleasure of knowing our father, please share your memories with us.