In the early morning hours of September 10, 2025, Tony Angell died peacefully in his home in Sonora, CA at 91 years of age. He was surrounded by his two precious caregivers, Beth and Lisa, holding his hands as he took his last breath. He was born in Plaines, KS on April 6, 1934, as Conrad Marley Angell, the oldest son of Carl and Helen Angell. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, daughter Carla Jo, brother Carl Angell, sister Mary Jo Kramer, and granddaughter Leah Angell.
Tony attended Shattuck High School, a rural community in western Oklahoma. Upon graduation as a standout star athlete, he received a “walk on” tryout offer letter from University of Oklahoma football coach, Bud Wilkinson, and a basketball scholarship offer from New Mexico State University. He decided, however, to join the navy near the end of the Korean War, where he learned the art of boxing, and served as a radio operator on Neptune reconnaissance aircraft. After his active service he continued his education as a printed circuit board designer/draftsman at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. Prior to graduation he was offered employment by North American Rockwell in Tulsa, OK as part of the NASA space program, the Space Race had begun. During a 25-year career with various civilian suppliers to NASA, he lived in numerous states, working with engineers designing circuit boards placed in Redstone and Saturn V rockets, which powered flight into space and, eventually, the moon. He was most proud of designing a key component of the NASA Voyager program’s deep space, Voyager 1 & 2 spacecraft, which launched August and September of 1977. His part of the circuit board detects a possible failure and switches to unused redundant boards. For over 48 years, both crafts are continuing their missions in interstellar space. He later settled in San Jose, CA when he joined BayTech, a headhunting firm employing draftsmen and designers in the Silicon Valley during the explosion of computer technology. He later became co-owner of a competing firm, Murray Enterprises, where he worked until retirement, he eventually moved to his final home in Sonora where he lived for 25 years.
Although the early years of Tony’s life was filled with strife and bad choices, he eventually became a better man after accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, becoming an important part of his stepson’s growth into manhood and reuniting with his two sons. As a result, the last third of Tony’s long life was the most rewarding for him as a person. Tony enjoyed owning fast cars, living life to the fullest, and loved wearing orange for his beloved OSU Cowboys.
Tony is survived by his three sons, Russ Angell, Louis Angell, and Jeffery Koss; two daughter-in-law’s, Kelli Angell and Charlotte Koss; nephew James Greenlee; niece and nephew Rebecca & Jeff Degenfleder; niece Mendy Greenlee; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
