Anthony Michael DiNuzzo Jr.

1943-2026

Anthony Michael DiNuzzo Jr. (1943-2026) was known by most as Tony. He was raised in New Jersey and served in the Air Force, including 13 months in Vietnam repairing navigation systems on the F4 Phantom for reconnaissance operations. After honorably discharging he moved to Santa Barbara and was a leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. In a place he loved, advocating for peace and sanity, he met the love of his life Thea Meyers. Together they lived a life of adventure, compassion, and freedom.

With only a few tools and an unstoppable will, he built the successful business Tony’s Cactus Gardens, with locations in Buellton and Santa Barbara, installing beautiful landscapes across the county and beyond. His passion for the plants he nurtured was only superseded by his love for his family, always prioritizing time with his three children and wife.

He stood for his beliefs and principles like an oak, was renowned by all who listened as a masterful storyteller, and shared with many the empathic and kind soul beneath a sometimes cactus-like exterior..a soul that he would tell you was softened by the Grateful Dead.

He leaves behind a legacy of transformation; always leaving the people, places, and things he touched more beautiful than he found them. He left this world on the same date he left the military, one last display of an irreverent sense of humor. He is survived by four sisters, three children, four grandchildren, his beautiful wife Thea DiNuzzo of 54 years, and countless others who loved him.