A Celebration of Life is being held at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 1, 2021 at the Interfaith Peace Chapel, on the grounds of the Cathedral of Hope, located at 5910 Cedar Springs, Dallas, TX. Facial masks and social distancing will be required. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cathedral of Hope; the American Cancer Society; or to the charity of your choice.__________________________________________________Tony was born in Effingham, Illinois on January 29, 1954. He graduated from St. Anthony High School; went to Brazil as an exchange student and achieved his BA in Journalism at Eastern Illinois University. In 1978, along with his sister Coleen and cousin Deanne, Tony moved to Long Beach, CA. He worked in mobile home sales, where he designed his own mobile home and lived.Tony met the person who would become the love of his life Michael (Mike) Potter at a stop light on Atlantic Boulevard in Long Beach, CA in 1979. Shortly after, Tony sold his home and they moved in together. Next, Tony went to work in Operator Services at GTE, where he made several friends. In 1981 Tony and Mike moved to Cypress CA. Tony created Park Life Magazine in 1982, which catered to mobile home living. In 1985 they moved back to Long Beach. During their time in California Tony and Mike hosted several dinner and holiday parties. In 1989 they made a couple of trips to Houston, TX to check out starting a new chapter in their lives. Then GTE opted to open a new Headquarters in Dallas, TX and their world changed!Tony was offered to relocate to a job in management at the GTE temporary headquarters in Williams Square, Irving TX. GTE later moved to their permanent headquarters on Hidden Ridge, also in Irving. Initially Mike remained in Long Beach but made several trips to visit. To make new friends Tony joined a singles group at St. Anns Parish in Coppell, where he made several good and wonderful friends.Tony loved the Valley Ranch planned community, which was near his job, so he rented an apartment. While walking along the canal he saw a townhouse he liked in the Tree Tops. He proceeded to purchase the townhouse, and the other half of the duplex belonged to Jeanette Bell. As we all know, if you know Jeanette, you will have lots of friends. Tony was having a great time, so in 1990 Mike transferred to the new USPS Processing Center in Coppell. At Thanksgiving of 1990, Jeanette introduced them to Jeff Larson & Steve Wenger. Jeanette, Jeff, and Steve are their best friends and like family to them.In 1994 Tony and Mike sold the townhouse and moved across the canal to a larger, two story home, with a two-car garage home. At the end of 1994 Jeff and Steve moved to Valley Ranch from Mesquite. After that, there were lots of Chili Parties, Thanksgiving and Holiday gatherings and pool parties were enjoyed.In 2003, after several trips to Galveston to check it out Tony bought a condo. He loved the beach and shared many good times with friends who came to visit. In 2012 Tony was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was successfully treated with an experimental treatment called Proton Therapy at MD Anderson, in Houston. Rather than the normal 41 treatments, this therapy was more concentrated and completed after 16. This treatment is now approved and a highly recommended treatment for various cancers.Tony was involved in architectural design and standards and participated on several committees for Valley Ranch Master Association. He also produced a newsletter for Valley Ranch and was published multiple times on the Letters to the Editor section at the Dallas Morning News.GTE merged with Bell Atlantic Corp to become Verizon Communications Inc on June 30, 2000. While he had made lots of friends during his time at GTE/Verizon in both CA and TX, Tony was offered a reduction in work force package and retired from Verizon in 2008. Thinking back now, it gave the two of them many years together without the burdens of going to work! After retirement Tony took up painting, and his pen name was Hugo Antonio!! He even sold one.Sadly, in September of 2020 Tony was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. After enduring numerous treatments and procedures in the months following, he lost the battle the afternoon of March 9, 2021 with Mike at his side, and Jeanette minutes later.Tony was preceded in death by his parents Nick and Rosemary Koste, as well as in brother-in-law, John Cordes. He is survived by his lifetime partner of 42 years - Michael Potter; his sisters Coleen Linde and Kayla Cordes; brother- in-law Jeff Linde; nieces Kaitlin and Kourtney Cordes and Kelly Linde; and nephew Tyler Linde, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins and so many friends. Tony was blessed with a wonderful, supportive family.Please leave condolences and share memories on this website.