Long time Apple II hobbyist and business owner, Tony Diaz, has passed away at the age of 54. Born in 1967, Tony was known for his legendary knowledge of the Apple II series as well as for his collection of extremely rare Apple II computers and software.
Tony was also known as a civil aviation and military enthusiast, having held the rank of Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. His well-documented and simulcast trips across the US in high tech vehicles were also the target of interest by many in the computing industry. Tony also was a regular contributor to GS+ Magazine, Apple II News and Notes, The Lamp, The Delphi Round Table, as well as a curator of a number of Apple II related websites including Apple2.org.
While he was quite adept at telling the history of the Apple computer and talking about his private collection, he was also the subject of discussion of many in the Apple II and hobbyist community due to his business practices.
His life sadly ended when his body was found washed up on Oceanside Harbor Beach in Oceanside, California at 6:30am on the 27th of October. According to local area news reports, efforts by a local surfer who is a nurse and first responders to revive him were unsuccessful, he was declared deceased at 7am.
Those who knew Tony best knew him to be a fun to be around personality, but that he had some issues with his health. He had at points, shared some of these issues with the Kansasfest community when he was trying to rectify some of the problems in his day-to-day life.
He will be missed by many in the Apple II community and by those who had the chance to talk to him and listen to his stories.
