Greg Anthony

Gregory "Greg" James Anthony, age 72, of Paola, KS, passed away May 9, 2021, at him with family by his side. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at the First Christian Church, 302 E. Peoria St., Paola, KS, 66071. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the City of Paola Park Square Beautification c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary-Crematory, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola, KS, 66071. Greg was born January 31, 1949 in Ft. Scott, KS, to James and Erma (Simmons) Anthony. He graduated from Paola High School and attended Tulsa University for a short time. Greg was united in marriage to Barbara Northrop in 1982. This union ended in divorce. He was a project estimator for Carrothers Construction/Pemco, Inc. for more than 20 years. While married, Greg and Barb enjoyed boating and camping. "The Lake Crew" (Bob Graham, Brad Ray, Tina Tyer, Tom and Jane Newman, John and Joyce Bumgarner) enjoyed camping at Lake Miola and taking annual Lake of the Ozark trips. Greg was the captain of the boat most of the time...every once in awhile he would ski or tube. Campfires were a must, Bob Graham would whip out the guitar, Greg and the guys requested songs or just sang along late into the night. During his truck and tractor pulling years, his partner (and son-in-law) Chris, spent countless hours and traveled countless miles to pull with the Outlaws and Missouri State Tractor Pulling Association. (This was BEFORE they were on TV.) They were Outlaw Points Champions two years in a row, 1999 and 2000. They signed autographs, made many friends like Phillip Kriesler, Jeri and Jerry Kriesler, and Kevin Carothers. Teammates Don Anthony and Randy Medlen joined the team for a season as well. He loved the Roots Fest! It was there that he grew interested in BBQ. Early in 2005, Greg met Eric Westervelt through the BBQ Forum. He was seeking somebody to show him the ropes and how to get in competition BBQ. They met and hit it off, forming the BBQ team Ribs 4 You. They ran the BBQ circuit for about 10 years. In the early days, it was a humbling experience not getting any calls. After a few seasons, they finally hit with a 2nd place brisket at the American Royal. They traveled all over the Midwest logging thousands of miles. One of the largest competitions they won was Smoke On The Water. This contest had a large payout and brought the best of the best. They won first place in all but one category scoring a 700 before there was a 700 Club. They had scored several 180's which is equal to bowling a 300. In 2008, they had a good year winning 5-6 contests. That year their good friend Rog Gray won Team of the Year. Greg, being the statistician for the team, figured out they had the same winning percentage as team of the year, but they just did 30 contests versus 40 plus a lot of teams chasing points. All the ribbons and trophies they won were displayed proudly out on Greg's sun porch. Kenna and Ashtyn looked forward to Sunday donuts when they were little. He taught Ashtyn how to make excellent brownies. He enjoyed spending time with Ethan, taking him to Heartland Race Track where he got John Force's autograph for teaching him the tricks of BBQing. Courtney loved hanging out in the country with him and his pets, especially Chief. He let her drive his tractor, too! Brandi got to introduce Simba to him along with many childhood videos or songs. He let Brandi and Courtney listen to KrisKros really loud on his big speakers. Morgan loved his Christmas and amazing meals he made. Emily just enjoyed her Papa. His favorite holiday was Christmas and Fourth of July. He loved the loud booming fireworks. He enjoyed going to "Pinderosa" (Scott and Heather's house) for July 4th celebrations. The last seven years were very hard on Greg. There were many medical complications that took advantage of him. He spent the last year of his life at his own home though. He still loved loud music and would start most mornings with Transiberian Orchestra playing on Pandora. He fell in love with TSO when he went to his first concert at the Sprint Center with his daughters. He was very disappointed that Covid caused it to be cancelled this past Christmas. He loved it when his "girls" would accelerate quickly on the off ramps. The faster they made it on the highway, the happier he was! He tried very hard to get Holly to let him buy a brand new red Corvette...he would use Google assistant to call Lang Chevrolet more than once to order one. He enjoyed happy hour promptly at 3 p.m. - he liked routine in all aspects of his life. He enjoyed his spring break in Branson where he saw the show "Jesus" at Sight and Sound Theater and "The Blues Brothers" at The Legends. He was excited to dress in old time garb and insisted on holding a handgun in the picture. He may have been a backseat driver a few times...apparently the corners are a little more pronounced when one is in the back of a wheelchair van! He loved his home. He picked out just the right trees to be planted and gave his grandson-in-law, Harley Robinson, instructions on how to care for his lawn just a few weeks ago. He looked forward to Sunday morning coffee and visiting with his mom Erma and brothers Don and Steve - and Moxie dog, or course! He had a special group of dedicated caregivers: Danielle Sumrall AKA Cousin Danie, Caryn Caylor, Natalie Masters, Lakin Cole Evans, Hailey Schlup, Olivia Bayer AKA Golden Girl, Jocelyn Hibbs, and Destanie Alarcon. Greg was an accomplished man - golfing, bowling, piano, trumpet solos conducted by Doc Severison from the Tonight Show, wood working, playing with the Lions State Band at the Capital and the White House. He was part of a band called the Euniques traveling the KC area for private venues. Volumes could be written about all the things he did. He was preceded in death by his father and step sister Donna Moore. He is survived by his daughters Heather McBride Pinder (Scott) of Ottawa and Holly McBride Medlen (Chris) of Paola; grandchildren Brandi Edstedt Williams (Justin), Morganne Pinder, Emily Pinder, Drake Pinder, Ethan Medlen, Courtney Medlen Pinder (David), Kenna Medlen Robinson (Harley), and Ashtyn Medlen; great grandchildren Paisley Medlen, Payton Medlen, Hudson Medlen, Hadley Pinder, and Wesley Robinson; his mother Erma Anthony; brothers Don and Steve Anthony; and step-sisters Sandy Buck and Judi Coble. 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