Christopher Anthon

Chris Anthon of Rockford, Illinois, died on Sept. 10, after a brief battle with leukemia. Chris was a longtime research librarian, ceramics artist, and intellectual polymath who had an insatiable curiosity about the world that ranged effortlessly from art and literature to science and history. Chris never met a stranger and was as likely to engage a grocery store clerk about the finer points of potato chip flavors as he was to expound eloquently on a particular performance of a favorite Mozart sonata to friends. Until the very end, Chris always carried a small notepad in which he scrawled lists of new ideas he had encountered and wanted to remember and learn more about. His enthusiasm for life and the world was contagious, and the absence of his affection and good humor will be felt deeply among countless friends and family members.

Chris was born on June 24, 1941, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Carl and Penny Anthon. His father was a history professor and his mother was the daughter of the acclaimed poet Stoddard King. Carl and Penny divorced when Chris was eight years old; his mother and her second husband, Dee Smith, raised Chris in Cedar Falls, Iowa, along with his brother Michael and step-siblings Matt and Devon. Throughout his life, Chris was a devoted brother, especially to Michael and Matt when they faced major medical challenges. His much-younger half-siblings, Greg and Susie, were frequently entertained by his unique humor, recalling that when Chris would babysit them, he would tell bedtime stories that were nightmare-inducing, when not outrageously funny.

Chris spent his senior year of high school at a gymnasium—a German secondary school—in Bonn, Germany, where he was known to carry a German primer covered in brown paper and labeled “Greek.” He attended Antioch College and graduated from the University of Iowa with a library science degree before earning a master’s of fine arts in ceramics from the University of Illinois.

Chris married the love of his life, Frances McTague Anthon in 1967. Chris and Frances had two children, Sarah and Michael, and the family lived in North Rockford, where Chris and Frances were pillars of the neighborhood community. Chris was a skilled and prolific ceramics artist who blessed family members and friends with both pottery and bas-reliefs from his studio He taught ceramics at Rockford College and served for years as a research librarian in the Northern Illinois Library System, where his passion for knowledge was put to good use. He learned to play both piano and clarinet, and while he was proficient in classical music, his great love in music was jazz.

Chris was a devoted friend to many, and some of his fondest hours were spent whiling away a day and solving the problems of the world along with his antiquarian-book-dealer friends at the Book Stall in Rockford. He was also a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandfather, and everyone in his family has at least one solid-gold “Chris story” about his adventures and misadventures. Chris’s focus was always on the journey—and enjoying every aspect of it—and never on the destination. He is survived by his children, Sarah Anthon Butler and Michael Anthon; his grandchildren, Isabel Butler, Kate Butler, Wally Anthon, and Joe Anthon; his half-siblings Susie Anthon Richardson and Greg Anthon; and his stepsister Devon Ward, among many other family members.

Family was assisted by Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory. To send online condolences and share memories, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com.