Anthony E. "Tony" Hoch
February 19, 1944 – July 11, 2025

Tony was born in Baltimore, MD in 1944, the youngest child of Gladys (née Bell) and Anthony E. Hoch, Sr.  Gladys and Anthony divorced when Tony was young and she remarried William Smail, whom Tony credited as having lovingly raised him.  The family lived on St. Ann's Ave near Loch Raven and  25th Street and eventually moved to the "country," settling in Baynesville. Their home was located on Joppa Road, right at the former site of Harold's Market, now Gavigan's Furniture.   Tony attended Parkville High School.

Tony loved drag racing. As a teenager and into his 20's he and his 1955 Chevy Bel Air raced the streets around Goucher and Loch Raven Blvd, whether it be for money or bragging rights -and Tony claimed he only ever lost one race due to a faulty transmission.  He also claimed he lost his license ten times and that they'd move the barrels on the unfinished spans of 695 to race.  None of this was legal.

Tony was drafted into the Army in 1965 and served in Vietnam for two years where he fired artillery in active combat. Noted as a complicated time in his life, he was not always apt to discuss his time in Vietnam, however, this time in the military was just the start of his career in federal service that spanned 4 decades.

Post-war, Tony joined the US Postal Service, working as a mail carrier in the Lutherville-Timonium area until his retirement in 2008.  In May of 1977, Tony married Cathy and they had a son, Jeremy. They were married for 20 years. Tony forged many friendships. Times spent with friends at Steak & Egg, Ocean Pride, The Charred Rib and Ashland Café were some of his favorites.  As a true Baltimorean, he loved watching the Ravens and eating crabs.   In his retirement, Tony enjoyed spending time with those he loved and helping out his friends, especially unloading trucks at Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses.

But above all else, Tony was a fisherman. He devoted his time not just to boating, but to walking the shores of Loch Raven Reservoir.  He eventually enjoyed being on the bay, catching rockfish with friends at Point Lookout in southern Maryland, but Loch Raven was Tony's home, his north star, and his religion.  The decades he spent at the fishing center, on the lake and talking to fellow fisherman, served as his purpose in life.  He would literally run his mail route up and down Cinder Road, in order to get home early and get out to the lake as soon as possible.

He learned everything about Loch Raven by using a Lowrance flasher and dropping anchor to "feel around" what was going on at the bottom.  He had every foundation, every sunken tree, every depth committed to memory, using the cell towers in the skyline as his landmarks.  He would arrive to the fishing center before dawn to make sure he was first on the lake.

Tony would happily educate anyone who asked about the best way to fish the lake, sharing tips and tricks and knowledge as only he could.  He would do 5+ miles a day, almost every day, on the shorelines wearing muck boots, even at 80+ years old, finding abandoned lures and collecting trash.  He was an ambassador to the environment and cared deeply for the lake.  He appreciated all of the nature there and enjoyed telling his grandkids about the ducks, deer, geese, fox and turtles he'd regularly see.

After a brief battle with cancer, Tony is survived by his son, Jeremy, daughter-in-law, Lauren, and 2 grandchildren, Taylor (16) and Cameron (13), to whom he was "Papa Tony,"  his sisters Nancy Shriver and Joan Clarke, many nieces and nephews, and close friends who he considered family, namely Joe Radebaugh, Joe Feinour, Matt Elliott and Pat Cramblit.

The Hoch family would like to invite all of Tony's friends and family to celebrate his life and memory on Saturday, August 2nd from 2:00-5:00pm at Hunt Valley Country Club, 14101 Phoenix Rd, Phoenix, MD 21131. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.peacefulalternatives.com