Anthony Barga

After 20 years without the Peg of his Heart, Anthony “Tony” Barga went home to be with
his love. The family takes comfort in knowing the two sweethearts have been reunited: once
again, he can finally sing his song to her, “Peg o’my Heart, I love you, don't let us part. I love
you.” Additionally, we find comfort knowing he was greeted by his son, Ronald Barga, his
parents Peter and Laura (York) Barga, his seventeen siblings, his son-in-law Ronnie Hayden, and
his many nieces and nephews. All whom he missed and loved very much.
Tony left us peacefully at the age of ninety-nine on November 5th at his home in Sidney,
Ohio. He was born on December 24, 1924, in Frenchtown, Ohio and passed forty-nine days shy
of his 100th birthday. Tony’s true joy in life came from his unwavering commitment to his
family.
He is survived by his two daughters Connie and Colleen and his three grandchildren:
Colleen’s daughter, Amanda and her Husband Michael along with their two children, Tony’s
pride and joy, his great-grandchildren, Stephen and his fiancé Janae and Hayden. Next, Colleen’s
oldest son, Mike and his wife, Heather along with their five children, Gorby, Adam, Brianna, and
the two littles, who Grandpa adored, Eric and Ella. Colleen’s youngest son, Scott and his two
children, Matthew and Bailey. Finally, Tony is survived by his son, Ronald’s, four children,
Crystal, Eric, Jason, Ursula and his sixteen great-great grandchildren. His grandkids each held a
special place in his heart; his love and wisdom will continue to guide them for generations to
come.
The family would like to share Tony Barga’s story and express the immense amount of
love and gratitude we have for him. He is our family’s anchor, the roots and the trunk of our
family tree. Grandpa taught us many things but most importantly we learned the key to living a
long successful life: grow your own vegetables, work hard, and never stop having something to
live for- for Tony it was his grandchildren.
Our Grandpa’s legacy as the hardest worker we know started young at his family’s farm,
then he left home at sixteen to work. At eighteen he was drafted to WWII and went overseas
from 1943-1946. He earned Four Bronze Stars, a Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal.
When he got back, he met Peggy Snider and married her on Valentines Day, February 14, 1948
and started their family. During their fifty-six years of marriage, Tony loved to take Peg out
dancing and the two always enjoyed fishing together.
Tony was a jack of all trades, working at various factories and a side gig as a Tube TV
repair man to provide for his family. After factories he worked the Omar Bakery route, we
always loved listening to his stories about his route. After Omar shut down he worked for
Baumfolder, retiring in 1989. After raising his children, Tony contributed in raising Amanda,
Scott, and Michael, and after that, he helped raise Hayden and Stephen. Additionally, over the
last six years he spent time helping care for Matthew and Bailey. If you knew Tony, you knew
that his grandchildren ruled his world.
Tony was a selfless servant to not only his work and family, but to his community, and
this country. Tony was a founding member of the Sidney VFW Post 4239 and dedicated much of
his life to serving the Veteran community. In addition to his lifetime membership with the Sidney
VFW Post 4239, he was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 217 and the Eagles
1403. Finally he served as Commander for the VFW in 1981 and for the American Legion in
1980 and 1981. Additionally, he volunteered with the Color Guard, firing the guns at military
funerals. Moreover, working the VFW’s weekly Fish and Chicken Fries take out window was
one of his favorite things to do, and selling tip books at the VFW in his spare time earned him
the name “Tip Book Tony.”
In his retirement, Tony loved to watch his western cowboy shows, especially Gunsmoke,
but he would always go without so the grandkids could watch their cartoons. He loved to go
fishing, maintain his two gardens, and canning the green beans, tomatoes, and pickles that he
grew from it. He planted a grape vine for his wife Peggy, and every year he would pick the
grapes to ferment wine in a five gallon bucket. He kept his brain sharp by reading until his last
days, he even read every western book in the Shelby County Library.
He loved playing solitaire in solitude, euchre with his friends, and black jack with the
grandkids. He enjoyed his weekly euchre meetups at the VFW on Wednesday nights and
attending the various weekly drawings at the VFW, Legion, and Eagles. He loved to take his
family out for drinks and to play tickets. A life highlight of his is the time he won the VFW’s
Queen of Hearts drawing and then turned around the same week and won the American Legion’s
Queen drawing. Everyone knew Tony was the luckiest man.
Tony was always sharing stories with us. Even if it was the 99th time we heard the beet
cellar story, we would still all gather around to listen to how Grandpa was almost left behind by
his unit because he got too “tight” and passed out in a beet cellar. Grandpa was in the 176th Field
Artillery Battalion, being the youngest in his unit. He mostly laid telephone wire from town to
town for communication. His official titles were Basic Infantry, Ammunition Handler, Field
Lineman, and a Guard for the American Prisoners of War in Moosburg, Germany. Tony was
proud of the 2,517 miles he traveled in Europe, starting from South Wales to Moosburg,
Germany.
Over the years, caring for all his grandkids in various ways gave Grandpa something to
live for. He loved his summers with his grandkids, taking them fishing, to the park, chauffeuring
them around to all their sporting practices, and attending their games. He loved baking his
famous pumpkin pies from scratch. And when the kids were in school, he was ready to cook
them chicken noodle soup on their sick days. Everyday he would cook lunch for whichever
grandkids wanted to stop by on their lunch breaks. Tony left very proud of each of his grandkids
and their accomplishments, but we all have him to thank! We would not be who we are today
without him.
Tony Barga loved unconditionally. He was a dedicated man who loved his family and
would give the shirt off his back for anyone. But most importantly, he was a guy of many ionic
catch phrases and jokes. The family will continue sharing his story, legacy, and his silly antics.
And in the typical Tony Barga way, he was making jokes up to his final breaths. So, he wanted to
leave you with this: Be good. If you can’t be good, be bad; and don’t take any wooden nickels.
So, Grandpa, we are taking off and we won’t forget to put our wings on! We all love you
and we are forever grateful for your love, sacrifice, and the resilience that you passed to each and
everyone of us.
The family will be holding a celebration of life in December, near his 100th birthday.
Come drink a Bud Light and open some tickets in his honor!!