Tony Baars, Combined Locks, age 87, died Sunday, September 6, 2020 at The Landings of Kaukauna with his daughters at his side.  He was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands on February 6, 1933 to the late Dirk and Antonia (Van Schayk) Baars.  Tony served in the Dutch military during the Korean War (1953-54).  He was a member of the Oud Korea Strijders, a lifetime member of V.F.W. Post 10544, and the American Legion Post 265 Darboy.

Tony immigrated to Canada in 1957 and then to the US in 1964 where he moved in with his childhood friend Joe and his wife Ann. In Tony's written words, he met "the love of his life" and married Johanna "Anja" Mize Vander Wielen June 29, 1968.  She preceded him in death in 2013.  He worked for McClone Construction until 1968 and then Brennan Fraser until his retirement in 1996.  Tony then worked his retirement dream job for Robinson Floral.

He enjoyed working with his hands, planting his flowers, taking drives, and sitting in the sun.  Tony loved visiting with family and friends.  He especially enjoyed his grandchildren and Friday fish fry made by Bret (even though he wouldn't touch a piece of fish).  Before his move to The Landings, Tony still drove and enjoyed daily car rides.  He made sure to visit his friends weekly, especially those that were in nursing homes and couldn't go out themselves. He would catch a cup of coffee around the kitchen table wherever he could find one.

Tony is survived by his daughters:  Anja Andres and Yolanda (Bret) Gerrits; grandchildren:  Shelby Andres (Jeremy Remter), Blake Andres, Bryce Gerrits, and Travis Gerrits; great granddaughter, McKenna Remter; and brother, Jo (Dita) Baars.  He is further survived by many nieces and nephews in both the U.S. and Netherlands.

In addition to his parents and wife, Anja, Tony was preceded in death by his siblings:  Theo, Piet, Cor (Annie), and Zus Baars.

A special thanks to the staff at Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital for exceptional care and the staff at The Landings of Kaukauna for their loving care of Tony for the past two years.

Tony's funeral will be attended by family members only. Friends that wish to participate can live stream the funeral on the O'Connell Funeral Home Facebook page on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. He will be buried St. Paul Cemetery following the funeral. The public is invited to attend military honors, conducted by the Combined Locks V.F.W. Post 10544 and the Darboy American Legion Post 265, at the cemetery at 11:30 a.m.