Tony Pastorello

T.C. “Tony” Pastorello passed away peacefully at home on November 6, 2024 after an extended illness. Cremation has taken place and there will be a Celebration of Life on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 2:00 PM, in the chapel at Denton Wood Funeral Home.

Tony was born Thomas Charles Pastorello Jr. on June 16, 1944 to Thomas Charles Pastorello, Sr., and Theresa Edna (Brennin) at Camp Chaffee, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. His mother had traveled there by train from St. Louis to see his father off, who was supposed to be shipping out with the rest of his detachment to Normandy; but because of Tony’s untimely arrival six weeks early he ended up staying stateside.

Tony attended O’Fallon Polytechnical High School in St. Louis until the tenth grade when he joined the U.S. Air Force at the tender age of 17 with his parent’s consent. He went on to get his GED through the Air Force. His time in the military were some of the happiest times in his life, and if you knew Tony, he had many stories to tell of his time in the service. He flew on cargo planes that hauled troops and supplies all over the world, It was on one of these flights that then, President John Kennedy’s Air Force One had a hydraulic leak and needed a ride back to Washington from Langley, VA. It happened that Tony’s aircraft was just leaving Langley to head back to Tennessee, and they were chosen to give the President a ride home, so for twenty-five minutes Tony’s aircraft was Air Force One.

He did seven tours in Vietnam from 1961 through 1975. His C-130 Hercules was shot down and he was shot as he bailed out. Tony spent 18 months in Walter Reid Hospital where he had to learn to walk again. At the time he was discharged from the hospital he was told they were going to discharge him from service, but he insisted that they assign him somewhere other than to a desk and he was given the opportunity to serve a tour of duty with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force aerial demonstration team as a crew chief for Airplane #3. During this time, he saw 38 states and 17 foreign countries and had the opportunity to stay at Buckingham Palace and have high tea and breakfast with Queen Elizabeth II.

He had always had a pension for weather when at a young age he experienced a tornado in St. Louis and from that point on, he loved the unpredictability of Mother Nature and embarked upon learning as much as he could on the subject. While in the military, he sought his degree in the atmospheric sciences. Upon leaving the military he became involved in law enforcement, his second love to weather. He was a police officer in South Carolina when he decided to come west after a failed marriage and perhaps get a civilian job at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, the base for the Thunderbirds. He was waylaid by his mother who was living in Hobbs to stop in New Mexico. He ended up being hired by GTE, the phone company here then who had an opening in Carlsbad. Tony ended up marrying again and moving with GTE to Florida and was gone from Carlsbad ten years. He returned in 1991 and started the company known as WeatherWatch. For 33 years he had a local weather forecast on the phone line and eventually had a website up and running with forecasts for Hobbs, Carlsbad, Artesia, Roswell; Ruidoso/Capitan area was later added. 

Over the years Tony took care of and repaired many swimming pools and pool equipment wherever he was living at the time, including many here in Carlsbad. It was a fun hobby sideline he had and he enjoyed putting in new pumps, filters, reworking piping, installing heaters, and checking the water chemistry. In 2007 he became a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Carlsbad police department. He was honored to wear a badge again and did whatever he could to promote the department. He especially enjoyed participating in parades and escorting funeral processions to the cemetery. Many of the flagpoles, both for people’s yards, commercial and church properties in Carlsbad were sold and installed by Tony including the one in front of Denton-Wood Funeral Home. His biggest job was ordering and overseeing the installation of the 80-foot flagpole at the County Building. 

In 1998 he had gone through a divorce and had given up on women. He said that he had told the Lord that if He wanted him to have a wife, He would have to introduce them to him. It was in November of 2000 that Tony met the love of his life, Linda Bergstrom Cirio when he went to Artesia to see the mayor about some weather classes for the city’s firefighters and police officers. She was the mayor’s secretary. They were married July 27, 2001 and were never separated in 23 years. Tony’s second love was spending time at their RV in Capitan and he developed a life-time friendship with Steve Sederwall, his comrade brother in arms. He and Linda spent many weekends and vacations there for the last eighteen years.

Tony is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Robert Anthony and two stepsons, Jason Cirio and Jerry Don Hines. He is survived by his wife, Linda. Anyone who knew Tony, knew that he loved his wife! He is also survived by his closest friends, Steve Sederwall, Michael J. Hickey, Shane Skinner, Judy and JR Jennings.

Tony had been a Mason for 49 years and a member of the Elks Lodge #1558 for 28 years.

Honorary pallbearers will be the Carlsbad Police Department Reserves.

We would like to thank Enhabit Hospice for their kind and tender care during these last few months of Tony’s life particularly Mercedes, Kaila, Katrina, Debra and Cindy. Special thanks go to Dennis Durfee for his spiritual guidance and helping to bring peace to Tony’s heart. The whole staff is just wonderful.