Lawrence Antone “Tony” Wertz was born in Missoula Montana on Jan. 12,1943. He spent his youth in Missoula and went to Paxson grade school and Missoula County High school. After high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Montana where he studied business and participated in Air Force ROTC. He also began a 50 year relationship with the Montana Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. After graduation in 1965, Tony enlisted in the Air Force ultimately retiring from the service with the rank of captain. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Tony and his first wife, Janna, raised their three children. Throughout his life, Tony loved taking family and friends to the family cabin in Lincoln, Montana where many cherished memories were made fishing, riding, rafting, huckleberry picking, and doing ranch work. In 1999, he married Grace Trujillo Daniel and they lived in El Macero, California until they sold their home and began to divide their time between Lincoln and Puerto Vallarta. Tony became an active board member of the University of Montana Foundation and was named chairman in 2012.
Although Tony didn’t consider himself a philanthropist, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the causes that were important to him. He supported the Parker Medical Center in Lincoln ,Montana and was a driving force for desperately needed renovations and chapter rebirth at his beloved SAE fraternity. Tony was know to be a very positive person ready to help in any way. One of his pet projects at the SAE house was the installation of the sprinkler system. He was a generous donor to the project so the system became known as the ‘Wertz Squirt Works.” Tony remained an active supporter of the house and an active member of the chapter’s House Corporation. He enjoyed reunions with his fraternity brothers and helped with retreats for SAE undergraduates.
The University of Montana and Montana Beta Chapter of SAE lost one of its most beloved supporters when Tony was killed in a vehicle accident near Lincoln in 2012. A scholarship for students at Montana Beta Chapter of SAE was named in remembrance of Tony and his love and commitment to family, friends, and Montana Beta.
Apply for the Tony Wertz Scholarship
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