I've known Tony since he was about 14 or 15 and I 16 or 17.  Parts of him are scattered throughout my material, emotional, verbal, mental, social, idiosyncratic and spiritual life.  He is inescapable and unforgettable.  We used to talk about going into business together in Europe one day, and the day before he died, he wrote to me wishing we could meet up in Italy this summer.  I've been living in Taiwan for 4 years and he is one of the 3 to have kept in best touch with me.  It's reasons like this why I always adored him.

I wanted to call him, as I sensed something wasn't right.  I asked him if I could as I remember he didn't always like to talk - being the sensitive Cancer.  He said in this case, he rather I not.  I struggled in my mind for days to respect him, or call him anyways..  I wish I did.

Tony, I always told, was in my top 5.  Who else could appreciate Jagermeister with me on chilly nights snuggled in the coziness of his room?  Who else would dance to Industrial music with me at Zaphod's?  Who else would always make me feel so beautiful, appreciated and loved?  Who would include me in a piece of their art the way he once did?  Who would give me ideas on my own jewelery and art and help me personalize it with such innovation?  Who else would I care about enough to drive home all the way to Gloucester at 2am, while I actually had to drive home to the opposite end in Kanata?    

His art was so moving that my flatmate in Taiwan, who had never met him before, insisted we paint a rendition of one of his pieces I was showing her on the internet that he had sent me a few years ago.  It became a centrepiece of our living room for the next few years.

Tony was my friend that I was proud of; the one I thought of first when I knew of others searching for artists, and whenever I was down.  He always brought me a sense of comfort in knowing he is in my life, and I was honoured for this.

I love and miss him so much..  As Julia says.. more than words can say..
They just don't do him and his connection to so many people, justice. 

His Friend,
Christine Ruzicka

This message is from Julia (sister) and Elliot (cousin) on behalf of Tony’s family – we’d like to thank Drew for his dedication and for the sensitivity he’s shown to this important task. If Tony had been a traditional artist his body of work would have filled his entire apartment building with canvas and paint. However the digital medium he preferred hid the gallery in a small metal box. Tony left behind an untouched universe on his computer and our contribution has been to enter his world and bring back treasures for all to see.

It is hard to separate the man Tony was from his creations. He put a lot of his soul into this work, so remembering him by looking at it gets you a long way towards knowing him. It’s doubtful anyone has ever seen Tony’s work in its entirety, and as we explore it we continue to be overwhelmed by his artistry, depth, emotion and thoughtfulness.

Besides sharing his talent and insight with people who care, we want to remember Tony for the silly, sensitive and kind person he was.  We’ll never forget his wildly imaginative character and limitless capacity for inspiration – he was a man with a plan who always tried to rally people to his cause, to make partners in crime of us all.

What a shame Tony’s work never got the recognition it deserved while he was alive. It is a greater shame still that he won’t be around to continue to make it grow. We miss him terribly and will always love him more than words can say.

Hello all,

I put this site together, so if you notice any errors, images that need moving, etc, you can drop me a line at radapaw@rogers.com . Keep in mind it's still a little construction-y

TOny and I worked together on quite a few projects over the years, from corporate training company logo's to animations of clowns being pooped out an asshole.... I find it incredibly sad that this, our final project together, was without his presence.

I have seen so many faces i recognize while going through tony's work, sorted through .PSD's with layer upon layer in varying stages of completion. I feel privileged to have been able to peek into his artistry in such a private and personal way, and a little strange being the one to finalize unfinished images.

I've been typing this closing sentence for about 40 minutes now... I still find tony's death hard to realize. It feels so final for me as this memorial site is about to be published. I won't deliver a eulogy, but I think I can speak for most people who'll visit this site... I miss my friend tony, and I wish he was still here

-Drew Allgoewer
july 19th, 2006