Antonio Llopis

Antonio ‘Tony’ Llopis Llombart died of leukemia Saturday morning, Nov. 26, 2022, at his home in Alexandria, Minnesota, surrounded and cared for by his family. He was 78 years old.

Tony was born in Valencia, Spain, on Nov. 2, 1944, to Josefina Llombart Rodriguez and Ricardo Llopis Llorente. He studied engineering in Madrid and Barcelona, then got up the courage one day to ask out the teacher of his English classes, Patricia Jepsen, who became his wife of 48 years.

He is survived by Pat and their two children, Antonio Llopis Jepsen and Celia Llopis Jepsen, as well as his sisters, Amparo and Maria Angeles Llopis Llombart. He is preceded in death by his parents and four siblings, Miguel, Fina, Ricardo and Manolo Llopis Llombart.

Tony’s life shaped his values. As someone who grew up in a country controlled by a dictatorship, then moved to the United States 40 years ago, he valued democracy deeply and ultimately became a US citizen.

Though he had a lifelong affinity for all things electrical and technical – and worked most of his career as a computer engineer for IBM – Tony was creative and artistic, too. He wrote poems and stories from his life, laced with literary flair. He had a natural talent for drawing. He loved watching Minnesota sunsets, gardening with Pat, and enjoying a glass of Spanish wine and seafood that reminded him of his childhood home. He had an endearing sense of ‘Dad humor’ that often involved puns, and he loved cats.

A gathering for family members will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to causes that Tony cared about, such as The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, the Alexandria Food Shelf and the Lakes Area Humane Society.