Tony A. Bliss

Tony A. Bliss, 45, of North Little Rock passed away on November 17, 2012 at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born November 21, 1966 in Iowa City, Iowa. Tony is survived by his wife of 18 years, Deborah; their sons, Adam and Jason; his parents, Lora and Rod Bliss of Jane, Missouri; his sister, Kris Hilmer and her husband, Randy, of Van Buren; step-siblings, Katrina Lewis and Robert Harrison; his AFS son, Nils Fitzen of Dortmund, Germany; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his mother, Joann Fewell. After graduating from Rogers High School in 1985, Tony attended Hendrix College, earning a B.A. in German in 1989. Following college, he traveled and lived in Austria for two years. Tony was a business analyst with Southwest Power Pool where he made countless friends, as he did wherever he was. In addition to his highly skilled technical career, Tony had many hobbies and talents. After running cross country in high school, he went on to run in several marathons and adventure runs. Tony was especially passionate about photography and taught occasional classes at the Arkansas Arts Center. Camping, playing football, learning to play the banjo and other musical instruments, and doing special projects around the house were some of the many things he loved to do with his boys. Tony was a founding member of the IBVG. Tony felt strongly about community service and volunteered with the Pulaski County Election Commission for 10 years. Tony chronicled his battle with cancer in a blog, "Let the CLL Games Begin" at http://tbtransplant.wordpress.com where he used his great sense of humor to downplay his courageous fight and to keep family and friends updated. His blog was also written to provide an insider's view to other cancer patients. Tony was asked by M.D Anderson to write a blog for them as well. Tony and Deborah felt richly blessed by the outpouring of support from their family and friends and would like to give a special thanks to the Sunshine Committee at Southwest Power Pool. There will be a service in celebration of Tony's life on Saturday, November 24, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Lakewood United Methodist Church in North Little Rock. Family and friends are invited to gather in Gibson Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the American Cancer Society or American Diabetes Association in Tony's name.