Tony Saretsky

Anthony “Tony” Renick Saretsky, 74, passed away peacefully  surrounded by family in Lacombe, Alberta on September 20, 2022.

Tony was predeceased by his parents, Emil and Emma Saretsky; and is survived by his wife, Marilyn; sister, Susan; his children, David (Gjenna), Philip (Monica) and Samantha (Mike); and his grandchildren Jack, Charley and Emma.

Tony was born on August 22, 1948, in Humboldt Saskatchewan and spent his formative years in Prince Albert and Saskatoon. As a youth Tony was a very gifted athlete winning numerous regional, city, provincial championships and even won the Canadian Junior Football Championship with the Saskatoon Hilltops. His early passions were baseball and hockey but as he grew older football became his true sporting passion. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan Tony moved to Calgary to begin what would a very impactful and fruitful career in the cattle business. Shortly after moving to Calgary, Tony met the love us his life Marilyn and they married in 1976. Their three children, David, Philip and Samantha, were born in 1979, 1982 and 1985. Together they made a commitment to always put their family first. In 1986 they moved from Calgary to Lacombe where they put down roots to raise their family.

It did not take long for Tony to become a deeply respected member of the community being heavily involved in youth organizations, especially hockey, 4-H and wherever  he felt his involvement would help. As the family grew so did Tony’s impact in the cattle business. He attended many weekly cattle sales throughout central Alberta and always enjoyed the camaraderie between the other buyers as well as the farmers and ranchers who brought their cattle to the sales. Tony also built a large cattle export business and had several years where he oversaw the export of 200,000+ animals. Among the companies Tony created were Cantriex Livestock International, Cantriex Feedyards, Morningside Livestock Transport and Stockmen’s Financial. Tony took great pride in his involvement in cattle politics. He sat on almost every major cattle industry board during his career, CCA, LIS, ALDOBA and CCIA to name a few. Tony helped form the Livestock Patrons Assurance Fund and played an integral roll in the Canadian cattle industry during the BSE crisis. In Tony’s later years his favorite thing to do in the world was spend time with his three grandchildren, Jack, Charley and Emma. He rarely missed a hockey game, dance recital or school function.

A Family Funeral Mass will be held at St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church.

A Public Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.

In lieu of flowers the family would kindly ask for donations to be made in Tony’s name to the Palliative Care Unit at the Lacombe Hospital.

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