On October 23, 2019, Tony Etchison (47yrs) died in a farming accident on the family farm in Arcadia, Indiana. Tony was a loving husband, a proud father, a third generation farmer, a successful insurance professional, and a hall of fame basketball player.  Tony’s greatest love and joy was being with his family.  He was married to his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Toby, for 22 years.  He was a father of three sons: John Phillip “JP”, a freshman at Indiana University, Gus, a junior at Hamilton Heights HS, and Tillman, an 8th grader at Hamilton Heights Middle School.

“Etch”, as he was known in the community, devoted so much of his time to helping others.  He volunteered his time coaching youth sports, helping anyone in need, and providing support to others.  He lived by, role modeled, and passionately believed in his guiding principles:  “love everyone, be kind, and make a difference.”  More than 3000 community members, family, and friends attended his memorial, a testament to how many lives Tony touched and impacted.

The Tony Etchison Memorial Foundation is built upon his guiding principles and the way he lived each day.  The primary mission of the foundation is to continue to show love, kindness, and to make a difference in the lives of community youth to empower children to reach the highest potential for their lives.  The foundation will work closely with the Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program and other not-for-profit organizations to provide support for the healthy development of youth within the community, including but not limited to, support for services for mental health counseling and health care, mentoring programs, food, clothing, summer camp and recreation opportunities, housing, and other needs as deemed appropriate by the board of directors.

The Tony Etchison Memorial Foundation Fund, a fund of the Hamilton County Community Foundation, asks for your generous support to help keep Tony’s memory alive by helping those in need. The foundation exists under the umbrella of the Hamilton County Community Foundation and all contributions made to the Tony Etchison Memorial Foundation are 501c3 tax deductible. More information will soon be available at www.ETCH21.org.