Tribute to a Firefighter
Anton (Tony) Vodvarka
October 25, 2020
In our culture we honor our heroes, we celebrate their lives and honor them even after they are no longer with us. It is therefore, with deep regret that we announce the death of Anton (Tony) Vodvarka Jr. on October 25th, 2020. He died peacefully, if unexpectedly, in his sleep. He was 81 years old. He was a retired Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department with 21 years on the job, and one of the bravest men of his generation, a superhero, our words, never his.
He was born in the Bronx, the only son of Anton and Mary (Hlavsa) just before WWII. He was a much loved child; his father was a New York City firefighter and his mother a homemaker. Tony's beloved sister Kathleen was born when he was 11. He was her sibling but also a role model of superhero status and guiding light in her life. Tony was a child of "The City". His favorite childhood stories were of being given a couple of nickels for the subway and a sandwich by his mother. He would then ride across the city from Parkchester in the Bronx into Manhattan to his favorite haunts, The Museum of Natural History and The New York City Library. He had his own hole in the fence into the Bronx Zoo. His first parachute jump was at Coney Island.
A graduate of James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Tony's love of learning never flagged. At 19, he enlisted in the Army, "so I could travel" becoming a member of the 82nd Airborne and serving in Germany and then in the Army Reserves. He was honorably discharged in 1964 as a PFC (E3) having earned the Parachute Badge and the Expert Infantry Badge. Later in New York and working as a busy firefighter, Tony would earn his BA in History from Columbia and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
He took the entrance test for FDNY as soon as he returned to the US and scored No. 2, beginning a career during "the years the city was burning down". His first house was Ladder 26 in Harlem. He went on to serve in Rescue 3, Rescue 1, and as a lieutenant with Engine 92, Ladder 82 and Ladder 101. He was awarded the Prentice Medal for Valor on November 22, 1969. One of his best friends said, "Tony made many friends, pissed off as many, but regardless could never be criticized for less than being one of the best in the job". Another said, "Tony was one of the greatest. He always had his view and defended it with great vigor, we all loved Tony for that".
Though he retired from the job in 1983, he always had his finger on the pulse of "Mother Fire Department" checking the Department Orders nearly every day. As September 11, 2001 changed everyone in the US, Tony was also changed. He grieved for his fallen brothers and wanted justice for them and all the victims of that tragedy. Studying it relentlessly, he wrote "An Appeal to Firefighters, Present and Past" which was published by Firefighters for 911 Truth in September 2009. Tony often quoted Gore Vidal, "I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm a conspiracy analyst.
Tony's retirement plans always reflected his great love of travel and was still a work in progress. He also had a very strong sense of "home"; he treasured his roots and was very proud of his Czech ancestry. His grandfather, the first Anton, came to New York City in 1900. Fifteen years, five sons, and a daughter later, he and his wife Antonia left the city for a farm in Hartly, DE. It was a part of this farm that was gifted to Tony by his father and together they built his "Casita Papagena". He always said that he built his house in the woods where he had camped in his tent when he was seven.
In his own words he met the love of his life and soulmate, Barbara, in 1980. Together they walked, hiked, trekked, ran, sailed, flew, and drove throughout a large part of the world. When someone would say, "Tony, you have traveled all over the world in your life!" his reply was always, "Not yet!" He named his 26 foot catamaran "Papagena" (ultimate joy) and his Daihatsu 4x4, "Leonore" (ultimate love and faithfulness). He and Barbara planted over 15, 000 trees to create a wildlife habitat around his beloved home.
Family, friends, and strangers didn't visit when with Tony. There would be a feast (prepared by Barbara, often assisted by Kathy). Every meal always began with the toast "Nazdar" (Cheers!) whether at home in Hartly, on "Papagena", a tent on Assateague Island, a guest house in Gorak Shep near Mt. Everest Base camp, a cabin in Ushuaia on the Beagle Cannel, a sandbar in the Suwannee River, their apartment in Buenos Aires, swinging at anchor near the Isle of Capri, a grass hut on a beach in Thailand or a goat roasting in Nepal. Beside his love of good food and drink, there was always music. Classical, especially Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak to blues, jazz, folk, and modern "until the 80's when it just wasn't my music anymore", his record collection included vinyl 78s, 45s, and 33s and he would boast that he had "over 900 movies" filling the bookshelves that he had made himself. Boredom was not in his vocabulary as there was always Scrabble played at the genius level where he won quite often and would not allow any help from the "peanut gallery".
Many will remember Tony for his profound sense of duty, honor, leadership and especially, his generosity. He was always the first to offer help in any situation he encountered. Seeing a disaster in the making after Hurricane Katrina in 2009, Tony packed up his pickup truck and with Barbara headed to Louisiana. They worked as volunteers in Jennings for 17 days as the town cared for over 3000 refugees from New Orleans. Barbara worked at a medical clinic along with many of the local medical professionals while Tony as her faithful assistant did all and every task at hand. Even when Hurricane Rita sent the refugees further north, they stayed. Tony was so impressed with the selflessness and kindness shown by the residents of Jennings as the entire town held out helping hands to strangers.
Tony's very fullness of life has left a very deep void. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Barbara (Ripplinger), his devoted sister, Kathleen, and cousins in Hartly, New York, Connecticut and Chicago. As he did not want a funeral, a celebration of his life will be held in the future, COVID permitting.
One of Tony's heroes, William Wallace said, "Every man dies, not every man really lives"
Tony Vodvarka knew how to live.
Donations may be sent to Meals On Wheels, Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forest Avenue, Dover, DE 19904 or to theraypfeiferfoundation.org to aid FDNY members hurt in 9-11.
Letters of condolence may be sent and guestbook signed at www.torbertfuneral.com