Mark Anthony “Tony” Farough, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 6, 1961, died suddenly in his Lethbridge, Alberta home on the evening of May 2, 2025 at the age of 64. Tony leaves behind his dearest wife, Joyce, his adored children, Alex (Kelsey) and Kate, his ever spoiled dogs, Olive and Abby, and endeared younger brother Chuck (Heather) who all miss him profoundly. Tony is pre-deceased by his mother Loretta “Lorri” Watt (1944-2021), stepfather Walter Watt (1941-2023), and father Stanley Lee Farough (1939-2017), who all wanted him to remain with his loving family for much longer than fate had allowed.

Tony first lived in Melita and Deloraine, Manitoba, the first child of what would lead to a group of 18 cousins before being moved to southern Alberta in 1967 by his mother Lorri with her new husband Lee Farough, before welcoming Tony’s younger brother Chuck. Raised in the rural village of Nobleford, Alberta, and spending summers with family in Manitoba, Tony began to find himself enthralled and amused with riding his bicycle, playing baseball, hockey, and rugby against other local teams, participating in a local air cadets club, and using his striking stature to stand up in defence of smaller kids being bullied by jerks that should’ve known better.

From his earliest days, Tony found himself connecting most to underdogs that were overlooked and often ignored, setting himself apart from many of his peers by embracing his morality. As a part of this, Tony began to explore the work of musicians that shared his principles, eventually coming to find favourites with Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Bob Seger, and Neil Young. In the early 1970s Tony’s personal life now included a new stepfather with Walter Watt (m. 1979), and a family move to Hardieville, in north Lethbridge. By the age of 16 Tony had found himself living on his own, making friends wherever he went, having a good time where possible, walking into bars and hustling as a pool shark where necessary, and rocking out with the latest tunes and styles whenever the chance came up. Tony was always known for his ability to put back his fair share of beers, and have an aspiring zeal for an enjoyable life.

During this rebellious time of his adolescence, Tony the “bad boy” first met Joyce, the ‘Sandy’ to his ‘Danny’, whom he persistently courted until she agreed to date him formally. Tony and Joyce began their lifelong relationship in Lethbridge in 1978 while she was still completing high school, with him maintaining various jobs to ensure they could live well together, before moving with her to Edmonton in 1982 while she perused her degree in pharmacy at the University of Alberta. Joyce and Tony made many friends and good connections in Edmonton, enjoying their time in the city during the dynasty era of the Oilers hockey team, establishing Tony’s enduring passion of fan-ship with the team. Around this time he also developed a lifelong interest with the Oakland Raiders, notoriously represented as working-class underdogs through the Raider Nation, and Tony acquired Edmonton Eskimos season tickets to get his in-person sports fix.

Joyce and Tony, strongly established together by this time, moved back to Lethbridge in 1987 for Joyce to pursue her professional career, while Tony built his reputation as a fix-it everyman, helping family and friends with home projects all over before beginning his decades-long career at Triple M Housing in 1990. In March 1994, the couple legally pledged their connection with a spontaneous elopement at the world famous Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas, and a formal wedding reception a year later with family and friends in Lethbridge. The happy couple then expanded their family with two children, their son Alexander “Alex” born in March 1997, and daughter Katharine “Kate” in July 1999, becoming an even happier family of four.

The family needed a larger space to grow up in and moved to their forever home in south Lethbridge in November 1999. Tony now had a wife, children, a home, with several cats and dogs over the years, all of which he diligently and delightedly cared for. Being the kind of man that he was, Tony also was happy to help any neighbour, friend, or family member who may have needed a hand with maintaining lawns, trees, stairs, roofs, and vehicles, then would spend some time for himself golfing, with a membership for years at nearby Keho Lake. Tony also took pride in his stereo equipment setup and the search for the best quality of sound he could possibly achieve in his home entertainment centre, often rattling the house when the chance would come up.

Tony and family had the fortunate luxury of enjoying many vacations together, including a road trip to Disneyland, with stops in Las Vegas, Legoland, and the San Diego Zoo. A trip to Disney World also gave Tony the opportunity to drive a few laps on the Daytona 500 track. The most frequented vacation with Disney Cruises brought the family to various Caribbean islands, where Tony enjoyed sunbathing, snorkelling, parasailing, and indulging in local liquors. As well, the family delighted in a partial ownership of a home in Whitefish, Montana since 2012, where Tony would most enjoy driving his Mustang convertible along the winding mountain paths, such as Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

Many pleasant hours were spent alone or with family or friends (often both) in the sunshine, with a cold drink in hand, never far away from his trusty, yet dented YETI can insulator and a pipe full of freshly ground cannabis. Whether playing cribbage, backgammon, chess, or a vinyl record, watching hockey, football, NASCAR, golf, or a good movie, sharing a meal, a snack, a hoot or a beer, Tony’s company always allowed for a good time. Anyone who knew him could instantly recognize his contagious, boisterous, and often mischievous laughter.

There were many times when Tony seemed to refuse to grow up in his own mind, and he often expressed that he would stay young and energetic as long as he possibly could. Inevitably, time crept onward away from him anyways. In 2018, Tony faced a cancer scare that damaged most of his remaining vision in his right eye, and had thought to be in remission while he enjoyed his early retirement after sustaining ongoing workplace injuries to his limbs and joints. For a long time Tony remained a restless homebody that could not sit still for long. He eventually saw his kids able to leave the house to build their own independent lives, then turned his focus to caring for his dogs Abby and Olive, driving Joyce to and from work (along with coffee and lunch deliveries), and being a welcome listener anytime Chuck, Kate, Alex, Kelsey, or any other friends needed him.

Tony’s body failed him long before his mind ever would. By April 2025 he was back for check-ups to see what was forcibly slowing him down over the last few months, went through a couple procedures to find treatments that could help, and then had a sudden, unexpectedly final day where his heart gave out the evening of May 2. All the way to the end he maintained his sense of humour and dignity, always stubbornly assuring the people who cared most about him that he would be just fine, and maintained his own satisfying lifestyle every day. It was horribly unfair to his family how quickly Tony died. Another normal day was suddenly transformed to a momentous and abrupt day of loss. The family is left with the interpersonal gifts Tony leaves behind, including his kindness, empathy, humour, courage, capacity for strategic thought, a passion to live a full life, and an enthusiastic energy that anyone who knew him would instantly recognize. He will be forever missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Tony’s honour on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the Elk’s Compound at Indian Battle Park in Lethbridge, Alberta between the hours of 11:00 and 4:00. Speeches are scheduled for 2:00. The family asks that all in attendance dress to the part of Tony and feature either a sports, concert, or pop culture nod in Tony’s honour.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Tony’s name to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.