Jinoturistica Se Fué

We had a lot of fun, you and I. I lost my father-in-law in Leon just a few days after you. You guys have some rum together (careful not to divuldge my, our secrets) and a round will be on me one day.

Tell Maxine and Shannon hi for me.

Jino-Tony was a friend of mine. I met him only a year ago in Jinotega at his ‘Cyber’ just checking my e-mail. You couldn’t talk with Tony long without getting hooked by his barbed wit. That night, over cold Victorias (at 12 cords per - alas, how money shrinks!) he told the three of us that he’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer, given three months to live. That was in Texas where he had no job, no health insurance, little money, and his American wife had left him. He came to Nicaragua ¬ to live & die - on the cheap. He adopted Jinotega in the cool, tropical mountains with a passion, determined to make it a must-include-in-a-visit-to-Nicaragua tourist location. He created and worked hard at perfecting the website http://www.jinotega.com/turismo.asp

Tony was an IT man whose career took him from Britain to Europe to the States and finally here in Nicaragua. Like many of these modern phenomena, the computer was an extension of his mind. He contributed many “Bests” to Yahoo Answers. Here on NL, his opinions, his advice, his posts were refreshingly well-worded & often insightful. And one of the reasons I visited this site. (Sorry guru, but your demographic surveys don’t always give me a choice that matches my thinking.) He wasn’t always right (alas, to have been human), but he could defend himself with razor wit in the Queen‘s tongue, and respond in milliseconds. Though but a drop in the ocean of e-verbage, the WWWeb will miss such a mind‘s input.

Back when, Tony was told a woman and her son needed a place to stay. He had vacant rooms in his Cyber-office & living-space rental there on Jinotega’s main drag, so he took them in. They became family. Victoria’s gallo pinto probably extended his life. And I saw on NL here that he bought them a house a month or so ago, and was trying to get out of his office lease (surely death …).

He was a good man, a gentleman.

One of the voices of reason is gone. Unlike others, I cannot recall from the top of my head anything Tony said that I disagreed with. Hope to meet you someday on the other side. You were a good man.

Tony & I had our differences, for sure, but he always had a sense of humor. I'm even more sorry that I was not able to "talk" to him one last time.

My Condolences to the family. I always enjoyed his prose and direct writing.

I will miss them.

• A Place To Rest
• by Alison

- "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" Katherine Hepburn

ADIOS & HASTA LUEGO TonyEncantador

Tony and nicaliving inspired me to visit Jinotega (the months of August through November of 2007). On my third day in Nicaragua Tony and I went to Selva Negra to drink coffee and to buy cheese (Tony liked good cheese). Because of Tony I got to see a lot of the natural beauty of the Jinotega area and to meet some nice Nicaraguans.

My sympathy goes to Veronica and her children. I'm sorry.

He will indeed be missed. Tony was a good man and a creative mind, who remained engaging and in good spirits through his illness. We were looking forward to working with him, reserving hopes that he might prevail against this terrible scourge that has taken and continues to take so many. Our very deepest condolences to his family.

Im sorry I never got to meet you. My condolence to your family. May God watch over your family.

I am so sorry to learn of his death. Our small world here will be poorer for it.

When I walked into my store this afternoon, I looked left to the bookcases, thought of something that Tony once told me, and then I knew.

I am so sorry.

I'm sure all of us on NL are going to sorely miss our good friend Tony of Jinotega. As FYL noted, not all of us saw eye to eye with Tony's viewpoints but he always spoke his mind and what more can you ask of any man than he be honest? We often disagreed but always resolved our disputes in private. I had a lot of respect for Tony's intelligence after meeting him a year and a half ago up in Jinotega and that respect never diminished. I will miss both our civil-and, our spirited conversations-and more than that,I will miss his often very good advice. More than most of us -I think he knew how to live as a native in Nicaragua.He lived simply and died with a great amount of personal courage.I hope I am as brave when my time comes. Go with God -"Vaya con Dios" Brother.

The following is an excerpt from a letter I received from Tony back around New Year's. At the time he asked that I not say anything but now that he is gone I share a portion with the rest of you who knew him online or in person. Here was a Man!

"I also knew I had been diagnosed with cancer twice in 2 different locations and that the writing was on the wall so the 5 years didn't really matter much. And thus it proved in early December 2007 when my liver got hit. I don't realistically expect to see another New Year. I have reconciled this long ago; I'm fairly sure of my exit path and I'm comfortable with it.

I hope this goes part way towards explaining my very peculiar posts of late and the transfer of property to Veronica.

Take a lesson: If Nicaragua is important to you today then how do you know tomorrow exists?

Tony"

My condolences and heartfelt sorrow to both his Nicaraguan family and his daughter in the States.I hope he was buried in Jinotega's beautiful little cemetery and I hope to find out where so that I may pay my respects in person when I return to Jinotega this year. We will all miss you, Sir

Tony se ha ido, He will be sadly missed.

My deepest sympathy to his family.

Al

tony, i miss you, please put a good word in for me, i need it....

when government grows, liberty yields, thomas jefferson

Your on-line banter and our off line discussions will truly be missed.

thank you for electronically crossing paths with me

I regret that we never met face to face,but you will be remembered for your courage and wit,

your spirit shines on....

-Doug

you are part of the solution, not part of the precipitate

I never met Tony (nor anyone from this site, aside from Kelly Ann), but certainly looked forward to reading his perspective on all things human and had hoped to meet him one day. I guess now that will have to be on the other side. God speed.

To the Memory of Tony, the Crusty Englishman whom will be missed.

Ye Banks and Braes o' bonny Doon, How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair; How can ye chant, ye little birds, And I sae weary, fu' o' care! Thou'll break my heart, thou warbling bird, That wantons through the flowering thorn: Thou minds me o' departed joys, Departed-never to return!

Rabbie Burns.

With deep sorrow I extend my condolences to Tony's family. Tony, you will be very much missed here at NL. (And I hope that someone will continue your invaluable Jinotega Website in memory of you!) A fond farewell to you, Tony.

You will be missed!