Anthony G. "Tony" Ortiz

Anthony Gabriel "Tony" Ortiz was born on March 3, 1948 in Denver, CO to Joe and Estella (Salazar) Ortiz. He was the 7th child born to Joe and Estella, with 3 more to follow. In his childhood years he and his siblings, mainly his brothers, enjoyed climbing buildings in the neighborhood, playing with cars in the dirt, and playing games with his family and neighbors. Tony also spent many of his days with his siblings climbing the big tree in the front yard of their house on 131 Lipan St in Denver. Tony first attended St. Joseph's Elementary from 1954-1960. He had many fond memories of that school and the church and it is for this reason that he chose St. Joseph's for his final services. He next attended Fairmont Elementary from 1960-1961. Tony then moved on to Grant Junior High school and attended there from 1961-1964, running for head boy during his final year there. In the fall of 1964 Tony entered high school, attending Denver's South High School. He became a part of the South High graduating class of 1967. He was not finished with schooling yet though, as Tony went on to study Psychology at Metropolitan State College in 1967-1968. On November 30, 1968 Tony joined the United States Air Force. He was a Medical Technician while in the Air Force oversees in Germany. As a medical technician he was able to fix up and even suture the wounds of the soldiers and their families. The thing that he talked about the most was working as a medic in Labor and Delivery. Tony loved that job most of all, and was particularly proud of the skills he acquired there, notably helping in the delivery of babies, burping, feeding and even diaper changing, all of which would come in quite handy later on. While in the Air force he continued to work on his Psychology degree. On November 29, 1972 Tony was honorably discharged from the Air Force. After being discharged from the Air Force, Tony then found the career where he felt he would be able to continue helping people in need, and he joined the Denver Police Department. He started off his police career in the Traffic Division, where his most memorable moment was probably the time he was able to assist in offloading a plane full of infant children brought to the US for adoption. He soon transferred to the Patrol Division where he stayed the rest of his career. While in the Patrol division he was temporarily assigned to be a personal bodyguard for Mayor Pena, and was able to attend the Mayor's wedding as well. Later on, he was assigned to be a training officer. That is where he liked to be. He loved getting to know new officers and showing them the ropes. Tony worked mostly in District 1 although he eventually made his way through all of the districts. He finished his career in District 5. While on the force, Tony received a Medal of Valor award which he was very proud of. He had been involved in a shooting at 38th and Lipan Street, and had shot the suspect who was shooting at people in the area. Tony eventually retired from the Denver Police Department in 2002, with 29 years on the force. Tony had a wonderful heart and was always a caring man. After he was discharged from the Air Force and on the Denver Police Department he met and married Mascha Strouf on August 30, 1975. They were married for 13 years, and during this time he joyfully celebrated the births of their 3 children Jamie (1978), John (1985) and Jeremy (1987). A devoted father, Tony spent much of his time and energy parenting, disciplining, supporting, watching over and being there for his children, even up until his death. Tony was eventually able to realize his lifelong dream of living in Mexico, where he then married Ophelia Bojorquez on May 27, 2011. Tony loved doing things like swimming, boating, waterskiing, fishing, golfing, traveling, camping, tennis, and boxing. He also enjoyed playing and watching baseball, basketball, and football. Most of all he loved to be around his family and friends. He loved to make people laugh and to bring a smile to everyone he met. Tony passed away on June 26, 2013 at 10:07 am. He is survived by his wife: Ofelia Bojorquez, daughter: Jamie Ortiz, sons: John Ortiz and Jeremy Ortiz, daughter -in-law: Shana Ortiz and his step children: Cynthia Hernandez, Oscar Hernandez and Kisai Milan. He was the proud grandfather of Adara Ortiz and Samantha Barron. In addition, he is survived by his brothers and sisters: Angie Jennings, Bob Ortiz, Bernie Ortiz, Shirley McKay, Susan Wetterrow, Mike Ortiz, Leanna Dolan-Jones ,Vivian Schultz, Al Barrett, Pearl Garcia, and many other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Estella Barrett, his father, Joe Ortiz, stepfather, Merle Barrett, and brother, Elmo Ortiz. Rest peacefully Daddy!

Reception:
St. Jospeh Catholic Church
605 W. 6th Ave.
Denver, CO
80204