In Memoriam - Tony Stempak

In Memoriam – Tony Stempak

We are very saddened to report that the forty-some year owner of Yacht Performance Center and friend of everyone who he ever met, Tony Stempak, slipped his moorage for the last time yesterday, July 18th, at 66 years of age after a long bout with cancer. 

Captain Stempak owned and ran the excellent boat yard that reflected Tony’s love of his company and his work!  It seemed that Tony and his crew could fix, haul, modify, or tune anything. He loved doing what he did and he did it extremely well, spending hour after hour at his yard – actually, to Tony it wasn’t work, it was fun. Debbie Foote said it very well with her post on Facebook: “Sad day. Tony Stempak passed today. The angels have an excellent mechanic!!”

Many of us in the club took our boats to Tony for whatever work was needed, some started in the early ‘70s when he launched his business.  All of us that did, ended up with a new friend!

Tony is remembered very fondly around the club for his being a happy guy, happy to be around his many friends, who was always looking for fun, worked hard and played hard and would go out of his way to help anyone.  

He loved hosting friends at his place near Moses Lake on weekends. He named his dog Tito after his favorite vodka!  Debbie and Gordie Foote remember spending family vacations at Lake Shasta where Tony loved to speed around the lake with his jet boat leaving others to drive the slow charter boat to the next day’s destination. When younger, it was the “need for speed” in boats, water skiing, cars and motorcycles! 

He loved his daughter Shauna who has been an angel theses last few months watching over and caring for Tony while raising four young children and working full time. He adored his grandchildren and became a great grandpa.

An 8-Bell Celebration of Life will be scheduled at the club in the near future.

- Ken Klett, Fleet Chaplain