In November 1984, five friends got into a car in Exeter heading to cruise Mooney Blvd. A few minutes after leaving Exeter, the car crashed in a field of plums. One of the young men died at the scene. Another, this week’s Grave of the Week, died a few hours later at the hospital.
Tony Schadi was only 20 when he passed on November 23, 1984. He was a graduate of Exeter High and was attending college in Porterville. Schadi, and his friend Pat Turley, who died at the scene, were teammates on the Exeter High baseball team. On the day of the funeral, the school allowed students to miss class and many students walked to the cemetery to attend.
One of Tony’s friends who survived the accident said, “Tony’s just one of those guys that got along well with everyone…He was an athlete, but he was just a nice guy.”
After the accident, several of Tony’s friends got tattoos of his nickname, T-Bone, as a permanent reminder of this young man who was taken too soon.
Tony was buried in his baseball uniform and a player swinging a bat is on his grave; as well as a baseball marked with the Exeter E.
If you knew Tony, or his family, please share your happy memories in the comments. Please help keep the memory of Tony, and all those who have gone before, alive.
At one point, Exeter High had a Tony Schadi Memorial Scholarship fund established to award $500 to an Exeter Union student athlete entering junior college. Please comment and let us know if this is still happening.
Comment if you know anyone who should be featured on Grave of the Week. Please include any information about the person’s life and where the grave is located.
Please continue to like, share, and follow the Exeter Cemetery District and thank you to Exeter Chamber of Commerce, Exeter Kiwanis, The City of Exeter, Kiwanis Club Of Farmersville, The Sun-Gazette Newspaper, Kiwanis of Woodlake, Exeter Union High School for sharing