Deceased September 9, 2001
View alumni profile (log in required)
In Memory
We report with great sadness the death of our treasured friend, Tony Frost, on Sept. 9, 2001, following a battle with melanoma. He faced his illness with characteristic determination and courage, unwavering grace and dignity, ever concerned with the welfare of his family, friends and caregivers.
Tony had a buoyant spirit: warm, generous, unfailingly polite, a genuine friend to many. Classmates might well remember Tony on stage at Kirby (he majored in Dramatic Arts) or ambling across campus with his rainbow suspenders and 12-string guitar, flanked by his foot-taller buddies, Tom Hunter ’75 and Dick Benson ’72. Tony knew the true value of practicing acts of kindness in all of life’s little encounters. We remember the constant warmth and twinkle of his smile—the way his presence just made us feel good.
After Amherst, Tony’s adventures took him to Los Angeles, New York and finally back home to Connecticut, where he pursued a successful career in marketing, first at Kraft Foods and, most recently, as executive director of Telemarketing Operations at Synapse Group, Inc. in Stamford, Conn.
Tony had many passions. He was a gifted writer, speaker, actor and above all, musician. Already at Amherst, Tony’s musicianship was accomplished. He sang from a wide repertory of traditional folk music, the contemporary canon and his own songs. Tony never pushed his music on us; instead, we asked for it on every possible occasion from cast parties to informal gatherings in dorm rooms. His music empowered our youthful sense of purpose and made us feel connected to each other and to something larger. Throughout his life, he continued to write and perform, sharing his music with fellow songwriters in New York and Nashville, where he participated in seminars on composition and performance. Fortunately for those of us who treasured his musical gifts, Tony recorded many of his songs.
But Tony’s passions were not confined to the arts. It was an enigma to many of us that Tony remained a loyal, some of us might even say fanatical, lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, even venturing to the arctic climes of Wisconsin in the dead of winter to cheer on his team. For those of us who unmercifully teased Tony for his loyalty during the long, lean, post-Lombardi period, his pride when the Packers reclaimed the Super Bowl championship several years ago was a joy to behold.
Most central to Tony’s life was his devotion to his family. In the final days of his illness, he confided his deep sadness in leaving his 3-year-old son, Ian, and his daughter, Morgan, not yet 1. He loved being a father, and, most especially, he found himself, after a decade of marriage, completely in love with his wife, Stephanie.
On a warm, brilliant late summer day last September, Tony’s life was celebrated in the presence of hundreds of family, friends and colleagues at a memorial service at Saugatuck Shores in Westport, Conn., an idyllic spot on the Long Island Sound that he had loved throughout his life. Perhaps it was fitting that the most compelling moment of an emotional day was provided by Tony himself. There we all sat, transfixed, listening to Tony’s rich, warm voice singing one of his own songs, “A Barn Full of Wood.” So characteristic of our friend, the song conveyed thankfulness for the bounty of life:
’Cause honey what we’ve got
Between you and me,
Is the love we’ve stocked
And a history.
So if the days ahead
Can’t all be good,
We can wait out the winter
With a barn full of wood.
Tony’s wife, Stephanie Boccher Frost, would be pleased to send a CD of Tony’s music to any Amherst friend by request.
Josh Karter ’71
Lou Matis ’71