Robin’s notes 10-19-09:

Tag (Tyler) Eccles died of Pancreatic cancer on July 26^th, 2009, in Juneau, AK. I hear that he went out in STYLE, and with a smile on his face! I’m really glad to hear it. For more info, DO contact Bill Ashby at william_ashby@hotmail.com, or at 907-723-8700.

Tag was the resident piano player at the Red Dog Saloon for many years, he was known as Phineas Poon and was loved by all! Phineas still lives, at http://www.phineaspoon.com/ . Tag is survived by his wife, Dr. Hildegard Sellner, and his daughter April. Hildegard is originally from Munich, Germany.

———————-

Piece from Junior High friend Barbara in CA:

One story that comes to mind is Tag had invited us to go skinny dipping at a pond or small lake near the school one evening. I was swimming in the lake and came walking out onto the beach and Tag was standing there with some guy and of course nobody was wearing any cloths.. Tag says,, “I want to introduce you to Mark Sheehan who is our principal”,, I was so embarrased.. I went to Homestead High and it was hard to imagine standing nude with my principal. I will never forget this and always wished my parents would let me go to Pacific High.

———————-

Tag’s pre-prepared remarks for friends at his Wake on Sept 19^th, 2009, in Juneau. AK. Bill didn’t want me to post these until after the wake.  Robin

Hey everybody, thanx for comin, I hoped you all would show today, but I wasn’t sure, that’s why we put out the free food. Please forgive me for not being here with you today, but it seems I have taken an unexpected fork in the road. The truth is, it’s not bad down here! Or at least I won’t have to worry about being cold in my old age. Just kidding I actually don’t know where I am yet since I’m writing this in advance.

Anyway, I wanted you to know that I have no regrets about my life here on earth. I feel I gave it a decent shot, though it feels like I spent most of it as a tourist rather than a hard worker. I believe I always tried to be a relatively decent person and I certainly have had a full and wonderful life full of love and adventure. I must say a lot of that had to do with knowing you and my decision to make Juneau my home. This place was always where my heart lived, maybe since the first day I arrived on April 21st 1971, though I didn’t mind spending a few months in Hawaii every now and then.

I had a great childhood growing up in innocent and nurturing California back in the 50’s and 60’s. My parents were loving and eccentric, wonderful and very supportive of creativity in all forms. I feel my childhood was very happy and magical. Starting back in junior high, it seemed like I was always in the band, the playing of music seemed to be the only thing that really caught and kept my imagination, and since has taken me around the world and given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people throughout my life. Of course it was not easy, wondering where food and rent would be coming from was always very unsettling for me, and on many occasions I had doubts about my direction, and my future. But I decided if I just kept following my heart, I couldn’t go too far wrong. It was difficult to continue often times in the face of reality, but living in illusion seemed to come easily, and so for the most part I chose to live in fantasy land.

I never considered myself much of a piano player, though at times I did have a few moments of inspiration and a feeling of soaring and tremendous joy. I did harbor ambitions for most of my life to one day take my place among the rich and famous, but deep down I was undisciplined and enjoying life too much to commit to the necessary steps involved. So when the golden opportunities did eventually presented themselves, of course I was unprepared and missed the boat. Now that I reflect upon it, I feel life would not have been nearly as fulfilling as the one I stumbled into here with you in Alaska.

And finally I would like to say that the most important thing I learned during my lifetime was to come from a place of integrity, a person who could be relied upon, and love all people for who they were without judgment. And to sum it up, one whose friends and family were the most important thing in someone’s short life on earth.

For those interested, I invite you to get on the list and come up here, take up this microphone and tell some lies, a funny story or just a tale about me. I think it would be important for my daughter and new grandson to know me from your point of view. And on that note I will simply say, it’s been nice knowing ya, bye bye everybody, you’ll have to get along without me for awhile, over and out.

List of the music Tag selected for his Wake at the Alaskan Hotel, Juneau, AK, sometime in September 2009: Lucy in the sky; Eric Satie; Wild world /cat stevens; Bali Hai, from south pacific; Picture me in paradise; You’ve got a friend, James Taylor; Theme from gone with the wind; Theme from Laurence of Arabia; Theme from magnificent 7; Hawaiian guitar music; All you need is love; Keep things straight, TAG; One time only thing, TAG, and, at the Red Dog Saloon for the final ceremony of placing his ashes above the bar for eternity: Pomp and circumstance; Four seasons/ Vivaldi; Traditional Celtic tune. End

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Tag Eckles and his wife in Juneau, AK

As some of you know Tag Eckles class of 69′, passed away July 26th 2009. Robin asked me to write a little for those of you still left upright! Tag and I grew up in the same neighborhood of Los Altos together, although he was 2yrs older than myself which now is a ripe 57yrs. I had a Band with some others my age called “The Insex” (which we were not allowed to use at school gigs because of it salacious nature, to the young and restless yet uninfluenced minds of the helpless youth) so we had another bass drum emblem that said “The Insects”, this was in junior high, (Cupertino). We rehearsed across the street from Tag’s house. Tag was mostly studying classical, (I didn’t find this out, till recently at the benefit we threw for him) that he had been spying on us and devising a scheme that would put him in a situation where he could jam with us,and show us that he would be a real asset to the band. So his scheme was to throw a party and pay us to play. We set up next to the baby grand he had, and when we went to start the gig, he was sitting at the piano…..well he would just kinda weasel in there and figure out which key we were in,and just blow. Well needless to say he was very talented and alot of fun. So NOOOW not only is he in the band,but also the most popular guy in the school!! for having the first party with a live BAND!! I guess the rest is history…he went on to take control of bookings, afterhour partys, grunion runs, running with scissors, cavorting and gallivanting more later. —Bill Ashby (class of 69′).

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Tag Eckles and his wife in Juneau, AK

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Tony Granatowski

Tony Granatowski was one of my best friends for a decade, yet I never met him in real life. He was one of the early players at a place called the Internet Gaming Zone, now known as www.zone.com. The IGZ pre-dated Windows 95 and browsers and the world wide web. It was a place where one could drop in and play a few card games and, in our case, make friends and be part of an actual, if virtual, community. I, and countless others, developed lasting friendships with Tony, whom we all knew as “Potz” from his years-long web nickname, potrzebie. We played hundreds of games of spades and hearts on the internet gaming zone, shared thousands of jokes — mostly corny — and spent hours and hours trying to out-pun each other. But it was more than that. We shared pictures and stories of our families, sought and got advice about life’s trials no matter how big or trivial, and even called each other on the phone to talk in person when times got tough.

As you mentioned, Tony was fun, witty, charming, and so smart! Potz knew so much about music, and as much about old ’60s soul and Motown as I did, and I grew up in Detroit. Behind the humor, he was a sensitive and caring guy, always willing to take the time to help out people new to the zone, regardless of how much time it took from his own playing. When Donna was so ill, back in the mid to later 1990s, I think Tony took some refuge in our little on-line community, late at night after his then little girls were asleep. Online, he found a place to put aside what must have been tremendous pressure and grief over his impending loss — a place to just kick back for a little while, laugh a little, rant and rave about politics, talk about music, tell a lot of jokes, correct each others’ diction and spelling, and complain (a lot) about Windows and Microsoft and Bill Gates.
(Insert smiley face emoticon here).

Later, after finding the second love of his life in Katherine, moving back to Oregon, and watching his daughters grow into their teen years, he shared with us his joy and his newfound happiness. He taught me how to play golf online, and even had tips to correct my real-life slice which almost worked. I know his kids’ birthdays, shared the pain of Donna’s illness and death, the release and resolve he felt as he moved his family from Scottsdale back to Oregon and his unabashed joy when he “re-met” and eventually married Katherine. I heard all about his anxieties as Jess and Emilee grew old enough to get their drivers’ licenses, his pride when Jess was accepted at NYU, and all about the new house in Lake Oswego, so painstakingly rehabbed in his “spare” time.

Over the past couple years, both Tony and I drifted away somewhat from our online community. We kept in touch through occasional emails, swapping jokes and family news. My last note from Tony was — how typical is this — a Polish joke he forwarded to me in December ‘03, the month before he died. Today, while catching up on old correspondence, I realized I hadn’t heard from my good friend Potz in way too long. My email note to him bounced back. I knew something was wrong, because Tony and I always kept each other’s addresses current. Google brought me to your website, and the shocking news of this past January when Tony died. I thank you for your touching obituary and tribute to our mutual friend. Although my relationship with Tony was merely virtual, my sense of loss is very real.

It feels a bit odd, writing to his high school alma mater, and telling stories about a man whom I knew so well, yet never met. I envy you, his classmates, who knew him in person and could, no doubt, sense his warmth and caring, and his easy, friendly manner firsthand. But I wanted you to know about this virtual side of Tony G. — the friend so many of us know as Potz — and to tell you that hundreds of us out here in the ether of the Internet will miss him, too.

“DetroitDave”

Dave Taylor
Ashland, Missouri
September, 2004

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Tony Granatowski

02/02/04 The Oregonian (w/ edits by Robin Bee and Claire Von Derau)

A Memorial Mass was held on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego, Oregon, for Anthony John Granatowski, who died suddenly of Cancer on Jan. 24 at age 50.
Tony was born Sept. 17, 1953, in Oceanside, Calif.

He was a student at Pacific High School in California from fall of 1969 to June of 1970. Tony was an incredible guitarist and musician and was always hanging with other musicians and jamming away. He spent some time living in the Green Dome with Efross, et al, and at Horney Mountain with Bob, Jonathan, Lorna and Alan.

Tony was gregarious, outgoing, and always a happy person. He returned to Southern CA. after Pacific, where he met the love of his life, Donna Pazos, in the restaurant business. They married, and moved to Lake Oswego about 1988.They moved to Scottsdale,
Ariz. for treatment in the mid 90’s while Donna was fighting Cancer, before returning to Lake Oswego in 1997 where she died during the PHS 1st All-School Reunion in August 1997. I was lucky enough to meet and get to know her for a few months. They were really something, together!

Those of you who were at the reunion should remember the fundraiser we had for the Susan B. Konen Breast Cancer Research program, in Donna’s name. In 2000 he married Katherine Von Derau,
Donna’s best friend, whose kids had grown up together with theirs. He did make it to the Reunion in 2002 and had a ball catching up with everybody over the weekend. Tony was the one who heroically drove to the flatlands late Friday night and procured hundreds of pounds (?) of cheeses, crackers and other goodies for the Saturday gathering. We certainly had plenty to eat!

We had a small, fun regional PHS gathering hosted by Tony and Katherine at their place about 4 weeks after the 2002 reunion, with Pete Moss, Dorothy Detsch, Kurt Nebel, Wendy Temko, and Aron Helligas. The expansion and remodeling of their home had just been finished after 6 years of construction chaos.

Tony and Katherine worked side-by-side to complete the project and it really looked great.

He was director of business analysis and systems integration for Food Services of America (computer whiz kid), and is survived by his wife Katherine; daughters, Jessica and Emilee; stepchildren Michael and Clair and sister, Karen Hetzel.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I will miss his good-nature and ready laugh. Robin Bee (Bloomgarden)

If anyone else would like to contribute recollections about Tony send them in please.

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Tony Granatowski

To say that Tony Granatowski was one of the most wonderful humans to walk this earth does not do him justice; he is deserving of so much more.

I am the stepdaughter of Tony and I grieve every single day. Tony was compassionate, caring, hard-working and self-sacrificing.
The world is missing a wonderful man.

I have known Tony since I was in kindergarten in Lake Oswego when I would play with his youngest daughter, Emilee.

After Tony and Donna moved to Arizona for Donna’s cancer treatment, Emilee and I stayed in contact.

Tony, Emilee and Jessica moved back to Lake Oswego after the tragic death of their wife and mother.

As two single parents, my mother, Katherine, and Tony helped each other out in any way they could.

Tony took care of me and my mom took care of Emilee and Jessica and our two families often cooked dinners together.

It wasn’t until years later that my mom and Tony began a romantic relationship and the two were married in October of 2000 at
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego.

After their marriage, my mom and Tony expanded and remodeled our home to help blend our families.

They put their heart and soul into every single aspect of designing and manually constructing the house.

They spent hundreds of hours going to nurseries, buying exotic plants, and landscaping the yard into a beautiful garden.

Each plant had a meaning and many were gifts that they gave to each other. When the house was finished, it was incredible.

It was obvious how much love the two of them put into their work together.

At the beginning of my mom and Tony’s marriage, I was a young adolescent and I was immature, rude, and sometimes outright cruel.
Tony and I did not have the best relationship due to my inconsiderate behavior, yet he continued to love me as his own child.

It was not all fights between the two of us, but I wish that I could tell him how much I truly cared, and still care about him.

By the end of my sophomore year in high school, I grew up. Tony and I were friends and we enjoyed each other’s company.

We would stay up late talking in the kitchen eating the wonderful leftovers from his dinners.

I will always miss his fantastic cooking and his incredible ability to whip up amazing meals when I tried to claim that there was nothing to eat.

Tony began to teach me how to golf over the summer and I wish he was here to teach me now.

We had many jokes together and I can still hear him poking fun and me or my mom.

In November of my junior year in high school, I was in a terrible car accident; and although Tony had just gotten back into town from traveling for his job and was sound asleep, he and my mother immediately drove to the hospital to sit with me through the night.
As a child, Tony had been in a bad car accident and he related to me throughout the process and helped me greatly.

I still suffer from orthopedic problems from the accident and I would give anything to have Tony here to talk to about it.

Immediately after the car accident, my entire family became sick with the flu, but unfortunately, Tony never recovered.

He became more and more sick and was diagnosed with terminal cancer right before Christmas. One month later, Tony passed away
early in the morning on January 24, 2004 with my mother holding him close.

It breaks my heart that by the time Tony and I were bonding, he was taken away from those who loved him dearly and those who were yet to be blessed by his presence. Tony Granatowski was an incredible person who gave his all to those around him. He loved people unconditionally and worked incredibly hard to protect and provide for his family. He was kind, caring, loving, intelligent, and funny. There are not words to express the wonderful nature of Tony.

Only those who knew him know the incredible loss that this world has suffered.

Claire Von Derau
Lake Oswego, Oregon
January 24, 2006

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