22-03-2025
‘It's just surreal': Loved ones mourn firefighter killed in crash into Louisburg building
Tony Juarez's young son Anthony sat in the back of the pickup, singing a rendition of Alan Jackson's 'Livin' on Love.' The performance moved the boy's father.
'I thought to myself, 'Man, this kid has a really good voice,'' Tony, long a musician, recalled Thursday as he reflected on his late son's life.
Another memory: They shared a moment just before Anthony stepped in front of a crowd of hundreds to sing Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode.' Tony offered a few simple words of advice: Just focus on the music.
Anthony nailed the performance and never looked back as his music career took off, Tony said.
'It was such a proud moment,' he said, his voice breaking.
Tony and a swath of loved ones are now left to reflect and mourn over memories like those as they grapple with Anthony's sudden death. The 32-year-old husband and father of four died Tuesday from wounds he suffered in a shocking crash in the family's hometown of Louisburg.
'It's just surreal,' Tony said. 'I still can't believe it.'
Anthony had been with his wife, Devin, inside a building along West Amity Street when a truck careened off the road, smashed through the wall he was standing near, struck him and went out the other side of the structure. Anthony was taken to a hospital but didn't survive his injuries. Police are investigating what caused the crash.
'We are heartbroken and feeling so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from our friends and community,' Devin wrote in a Facebook post. '(Anthony) was my very best friend and it's been comforting reading all the heartfelt posts by people he has impacted.
'Please do not take a single day for granted. Hug those who matter and make sure they know you love them. Luckily, Anthony lived every day like this. My babies knew how crazy their daddy was about them and he made sure I knew how much he loved me.'
Anthony picked up the guitar as a child and quickly mastered the instrument, mostly by teaching himself, Tony said.
He and his son would play together, and Anthony's band, 68 Overpass, had its roots in that father-son connection. Tony recalled the time they spent together fondly as he remembered playing at private events or at a local restaurant, or performing at the county fair.
His music, Tony said, was perfection.
'It was probably some of the best memories I had with him, watching people coming up and congratulating him and telling him how good he sounded,' he said.
Anthony's heart and soul shone through in his music, and his love for the music came second only to the love he had for family, they said in his obituary. He coached his children in sports, at times helping to guide six teams at once during overlapping seasons, they said.
He served as a volunteer firefighter with the Drexel Fire Department and worked with his mother, Susan Waggerman, running Agape's Grace, his family's organization dedicated to providing services for people with mental and physical disabilities.
Ever a Kansas City Chiefs and Royals fan, he could pull stats from memory, and despite scoreboard deficits, he kept the faith in his teams, his father said.
'I think he lived his life to the fullest,' Tony said. 'There wasn't anything he couldn't do. If he wanted to touch the moon, he would figure a way out to do it.'
A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 29 at the Louisburg High School gym.
