"Many people dream, have hopes and ambitions but here was a man that actually fulfilled all of his dreams, celebrating life to its fullest," said father Ronald Nunes.
On the evening of Sunday, September 18, Ballardite Anthony 'Tony' Nunes went missing. He didn't answer his cell phone and he was a no show at work the following morning.
"That was not like him. He loved his work," said his mother Marilyn Daschofsky.
Tony's father, Ronald Nunes, went looking for him at the local hospitals and filed a missing person report.
Daschofsky said that Ronald Nunes found their son underneath his boat in Ballard. It appears that he had slipped, hit his head on the dock leading up to his boat, and drowned when he fell into the water.
Only 37 years old, Tony was a proud member of the Ride the Ducks of Seattle where he was known as Captain Tristan Shout of the Might Duck Boat.
"Whether it was the people on his tour or people walking down the streets of the Emerald City, Tony could always make you laugh and smile and feel so much alive," writes Ronald Nunes in a tribute. "Many people dream, have hopes and ambitions but here was a man that actually fulfilled all of his dreams, celebrating life to its fullest."
Born in Texas, Tony grew up in a military family and developed a love for traveling and life at sea.
He traveled the world over while working on cruise yachts and ships in the Caribbean, Alaska and up the majestic Columbia River. Most recently, he lived aboard his boat, the Buckaroo.
According to Ron Nunes, "If Tony knew of anything it was just how precious life is, no matter how big or small."