Anthony Charles \u201cTony\u201d Eatinger, 26, of Helena, passed away Nov. 9, 2011, after fighting a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer. Tony passed away peacefully with his wife, family and close friends by his side. Tony was born and raised in Helena, where he graduated from Helena High School, and then moved to Billings to obtain a degree in exercise science from Rocky Mountain College.<\/p>\n
Tony\u2019s life was full of close friends and family, being raised with his twin sister, Heather, by his Grandpa Chuck, Aunt Cathy and father, Chuck. Tony\u2019s hobbies included camping, fly fishing, watching movies, playing with his dog, Charlee; and spending time with family and friends, but his real passion was for basketball. Known for his defensive tenacity, Tony quickly became a record-setting shot-blocker for the Helena High Bengals. His athletic abilities earned him a basketball scholarship to Rocky Mountain College, where he was a key contributor for the 2009 NAIA Championship team. Tony was known for being outgoing, and for his quick-witted humor and uncanny storytelling skills, which he practiced with countless numbers of friends throughout the years.<\/p>\n
Tony met the love of his life, Morgan, growing up in Helena and always stayed in touch with her during the early years of their college careers. Shortly after attending her first year of college, Morgan quickly moved to Billings to start a life with Tony. Morgan and Tony were married in Helena on Dec. 23, 2010, after being together for 3 1\/2 years. Morgan was Tony\u2019s rock, standing by him through his initial diagnosis and numerous surgeries, treatments and hospital visits. He will always be remembered as a great husband, friend, grandson, brother, nephew and son, whose infectious smile and ability to make those around him laugh will forever be unmatched.<\/p>\n
Thankful for the memories and sharing his life are his wife, Morgan McBride Eatinger; twin sister, Heather Eatinger (JP Racicot); grandpa, Chuck Eatinger; aunt, Cathy (Dave) Wood; father, Chuck Eatinger; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Tony was preceded in death by his grandmother, Christine Kovar Eatinger.<\/p>\n
Visitation will be held at Retz Funeral Home Chapel on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p.m. A celebration of Tony\u2019s life will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at St. Paul\u2019s United Methodist Church with a reception to follow the service at the Elks Lodge. Donations are being accepted, under Eatinger, to assist the family with medical costs at Wells Fargo Bank in Helena. To offer condolences to the family or to share a memory of Tony, please visit www.retzfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1311055.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","family_email":"","family_first_name":"","family_last_name":"","event_title5":"","event_date5":"","start_time5":"","end_time5":"","location5":"","address5":"","city5":"","state5":"","zipcode5":"","event_title6":"","event_date":"","start_time6":"","end_time6":"","location6":"","address6":"","city6":"","state6":"","zipcode6":"","event_title7":"","event_date7":"","start_time7":"","end_time7":"","location7":"","address7":"","city7":"","state7":"","zipcode7":"","event_title8":"","event_date8":"","start_time8":"","end_time8":"","location8":"","address8":"","city8":"","state8":"","zipcode8":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/23393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}