Cover photo for Anthony "Tony" LaFayette's Obituary
Anthony "Tony" LaFayette Profile Photo
1973 Anthony 2022

Anthony "Tony" LaFayette

November 21, 1973 — July 11, 2022

Anthony “Tony” Marlan LaFayette, 48, of Fergus Falls, MN passed away Monday, July 11, 2022, at Lake Region Healthcare surrounded by his loving family.

Tony was born November 21, 1973, in Moorhead, MN to Clarence “Buck” and Doris (Julsrud) LaFayette. He was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Barnesville, MN. He attended Barnesville Public Schools.

On July 8, 2000, Tony married the love of his life, JoAnn Anderson. They were each other’s rock, always there through thick and thin. JoAnn will forever miss their saying “I love you more and more, every second of every day, forever and ever hun…sweetheart” followed by three kisses.

He was a dedicated and hard worker, being employed by various companies in the area. His jobs included working for Fergus Power Pump, Pepsi, Shoremaster and Crary Industries as a welder, and Dwyer Instruments as a machinist. He continued working after his October 2020 cancer diagnosis but eventually had to devote his time to treat his cancer. He continued to maintain valuable friendships with his beloved coworkers. Beyond these jobs, Tony was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone with various projects. He was quite the “Mr. Fix-it”, especially to his grandkids who thought grandpa could fix anything.

He was a member of the Sons of the American Legion for 37 years.

Tony loved to keep busy. He enjoyed kayaking, tubing down the river, sand volleyball and playing Bingo with his wife and their friends. He was quite the social butterfly who could spark up a conversation with anyone. Over the years, Tony attended many boxing matches as a spectator and later as a judge, including having the opportunity to judge at a national tournament. He also found joy in watching other sporting events; some of his favorites were MN Wild hockey games and softball games played by his children. Most of his summers were spent camping, having bonfires, playing bags and card games, taking the boat out to go fishing or pulling family on the tube, being the best breakfast maker and helping out neighboring campers. One of his more recent hobbies was collecting lanterns, thanks to his Oncologist for recommending he find another hobby. Tony also fell in love with going to Florida the past couple of years. He loved spending time with family and created a special bond with his grandchildren. They spent many hours watching Netflix shows and playing Bloxburg together. Tony also cherished many car rides with his dog, Oakley.

Tony did not fight the battle against cancer alone. His wife was always by his side through all the treatments, procedures, appointments and hospital stays. He had many people praying for him and cheering him on. Dr. Sahin and the amazing staff at the Lake Region Cancer Care and Research Center took such great care of him. There were many other medical professionals who helped him throughout this journey. His family is forever grateful for them all.

Preceding him in death were his father, Buck LaFayette, and his sister-in-law, Beverly Anderson.

Tony is survived by his loving wife of 22 years, JoAnn LaFayette of Fergus Falls; children, Jenna (Nick Foss) Nygaard of Fergus Falls, Brittany Nygaard of Fergus Falls, Tanner (Krystel) Nygaard of Fergus Falls, and Breanna LaFayette of Fargo, ND; grandchildren, Brooklyn and Beckett; his mother, Doris LaFayette of Barnesville; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Stan and Debi Anderson of Fergus Falls; siblings, Susan (Tim) Dayley of Lake Park, Les (Jodi) LaFayette of Barnesville, and Robert (Penny Schulz) LaFayette of Kindred, ND; sister-in-law, Brenda Thelen of Rushford; his “fur”ever buddy, Oakley James, and numerous nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Blessed be the memory of Tony LaFayette.

Memorial Service: 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, with visitation one-hour prior to the service.
Clergy: Reverends Rich Iversen and Tim Collins
Interment: Oak Grove Cemetery, Fergus Falls, MN

Assistance provided by Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls.
Online condolences may be sent to www.olsonfuneralhome.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Anthony "Tony" LaFayette, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

1:00 - 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Bethel Lutheran Church - Fergus Falls

702 West Alcott Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Memorial Service

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Bethel Lutheran Church - Fergus Falls

702 West Alcott Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

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