Joe "Tony" Portugal

Joe Anthony Portugal, age 77, of Morrison, CO passed away on Friday, June 10, 2022. He was fondly known by so many as "Tony." He was born on January 12, 1945 at Denver General Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Tony was born the oldest of five biological children, but was lovingly raised as a son by his grandmother, Rosario Portugal.

Tony's family lived in Oak Creek, Colorado until he was about 5 years old, where he has such fond memories. His family then returned to the Sunnyside neighborhood of North Denver, where he grew up in his family home located on 37th and Navajo. Tony attended Bryant-Webster Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High and graduated from North High School in 1963. In 1965, he was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army, where he served 2 tours overseas during the Vietnam War as a paratrooper in the Airbourne Division, before returning to U.S. soil in 1969.

Tony was always a hard worker and enjoyed working with his hands. He began working as a machinist at Samsonite. It was there that Tony and Lucy's paths crossed again and they begin dating.
Tony and Lucy married on April 16, 1977 and later welcomed two daughters, Marisa and Valerie, into the world in 1977 and 1981.

Tony joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union #68 as an apprentice in 1981, ultimately becoming a Journeyman Electrician and serving 40 years with the local union during his life. He was so proud of the various large projects he was a part of throughout the years and was always excited to share with others how these projects were building Denver into the great city it is today. Tony was a part of the teams that built the Denver International Airport, Pepsi Center and Coors Event Center. Throughout the years, Tony enjoyed this brotherhood and participated in annual Labor Day Parades, summer picnics and holiday parties with his family and friends. Even after retiring, he still attended monthly retiree luncheons when possible.
After retiring from the local electrical union, Tony worked for 17 years with City & County of Denver as an Electrical Inspector, before officially retiring altogether.

Tony was many things to many people. He enjoyed gardening, talk radio, walking, extended strolls through any hardware store, sharing stories and ultimately spending time with people. Tony was a great listener, but also had great stories to tell and loved to laugh. He loved driving through the mountains or even just through town, where he often stopped to visit family and friends he hadn't seen for a week or even a couple years. He loved his Denver Broncos, documentaries, a good game of horseshoes and simply loved family dinners together. Tony's greatest treasures were his two grandchildren, Noah and Ava. They brought such joy to him and he enjoyed attending any live event on their busy schedule, especially their swimming events, baseball, football and soccer games. He shared their unique passions for God, Dairy Queen, bingo and telling funny jokes at the dinner table. Tony lived by an old adage shared by his mother, which is evident he took to heart and practiced daily.
The true character of a man can be determined by his actions; not his words.

Tony touched many lives, impacted many futures, welcomed with an open heart, always offered a helping hand, encouraged with eagerness, loved wholeheartedly, smiled with kindness, sat patiently, forgave unconditionally, and always offered a warm hug and/or handshake when he encountered anyone. He will forever be missed, never forgotten and will always be carried in the hearts of those that loved him.

Tony is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Lucy Portugal; daughters, Marisa (Israel) Salazar and Valerie (Nate) Ellis; and grandchildren, Noah and Ava Ellis. In addition, he is survived by his two brothers, Manuel Portugal and Gene Ramirez; two sisters, Alice (Tiny) Ramirez and Norma Mock; as well as many others that loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his Mother (grandmother), parents and sister.

His burial service (Inurnment) will be held at 11:30am, Friday, July 15, 2022 at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area B. A reception lunch will follow and details will be provided for attendees at the service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Denver Urban Gardens at dug.org/donate/ or in honor of Tony, spending time reaching out to a loved one by visiting, calling or sending a card.