By JULIA DENG
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Everybody in town seems to have a “Tony story,” friends said.
A prayer vigil for Anthony “Tony” Etchison drew a crowd that nearly filled the football field at his son’s school.
Hundreds of loved ones and community members gathered Thursday at Hamilton Heights High School to honor the late coach, basketball standout and insurance agent.
Tony was killed Wednesday night in a combine accident at his family’s soybean farm in northern Hamilton County, according to authorities. He was 47, the coroner’s office said.
He leaves behind his wife, high school sweetheart Toby, and their three sons. Their eldest, 19-year-old J.P. Etchison, said he was touched by the community’s response to the tragic accident.
J.P. Etchison
“As you can see, the community at large has really been here for us,” he told News 8, gesturing to the growing crowd on the football field. “It’s truly an overwhelming feeling. It just shows how respected of a man my father was and how truly great this community is … It rallies behind its own.”
Support from friends gave him the strength to “be a rock” for his two younger brothers, J.P. said.
Their father died doing what he loved; J.P. called the family farm Tony’s “biggest passion” and said it was where he taught the boys the value of hard work.
“The lesson my father taught me that I’ll never let go of is that work ethic,” he said. “The drive that he’s always instilled in us. Without it, I don’t think I could be where I am today … I’m just going to keep that in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Tony’s other lifelong passion was athletics. He excelled on the court, on the field and as a coach. He was a four-year letter winner in basketball who led the Noblesville High School team to three sectional titles. He was named “Hamilton County Player of the Year” twice.
In 2016, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame named Tony to the Silver Anniversary team. He joined the Hall of Fame’s board of directors in July.
Lisa Stevens, a longtime friend who attended Thursday night’s vigil, said Tony pulled double-duty as a basketball coach and father figure for her son, Blake.
“Tony was definitely a guiding hand when he needed it,” she told News 8. “He touched a lot of lives for good. He’s going to be sorely, sorely missed.”
Zach Fessel, a junior at Hamilton Heights whose football league had been coached by Tony, said he cherished his guidance on and off the field.
“He was so much more than just my coach,” Fessel said. “He was everything. He was loving and caring to me like I was his own son.”
Friends wiped away tears as they wrote messages for Tony’s family on index cards provided by vigil organizers.
The event was planned by a group of Hamilton Heights students, including junior Ava Thomas.
“This morning, the halls [at school] were very quiet and it made me just want to take action,” she said. “We went to administration with our idea, posted about it on social media and – in a few hours – it blew up.”
The impressive turnout was heartwarming but not surprising, Thomas added.
“We know Tony meant a lot to the community,” she said.
J.P. thanked his brother’s classmates after the vigil with an impromptu, emotional speech that drew applause.
“Your love and support is really what’s going to get us through this,” he told the group of students. “It’s going to be a long process but with all of you behind us, we’re going to get through this. And we’re going to become stronger because of it.”
A man standing near the edge of the field smiled, watching J.P.
“His father would be so proud,” he said.