Obituaries

Mr. Tony Lee Cloninger, Sr., age 77, of Denver, passed away on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

His funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, July 30, 2018 at Denver United Methodist Church with Rev. Bob Lynn and Pastor Mike Devine officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 4:00 until 7:00pm on Sunday, July 29, 2018 at Denver United Methodist Church.

Mr. Cloninger was born August 13, 1940 in Lincoln County to the late Carl and Edna Lynch Cloninger.  In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by one brother, Frank Cloninger and one sister, Marie Goodman.   Mr. Cloninger was a professional baseball player.  His career spanned over 12 years with the major leagues having played with the Milwaukee Braves, the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds and his last year in 1972, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals.  Although he had a successful pitching career, most people remembered him for being the only pitcher in baseball history to hit two grand slams in one game and nine RBI’s, a record that still stands today.  Mr. Cloninger returned to baseball as a pitching coach for the New York Yankees from 1987 until 2000, and then worked with the Boston Red Sox as a pitching coach and consultant until 2016.

He is survived by three sons, Tony Cloninger Jr. and wife Karen of Denver, NC, Darin Cloninger and wife Angie of Jacksonville, NC and Michael Cloninger and wife Kimberly of Denver, NC; one daughter, Meredith Cloninger Sherrill and husband Ronnie of Maiden, NC; one brother, Ray Cloninger and wife Ann of Denver, NC; nine grandchildren, Erich Cloninger, Andrea Wilson, Jayme Cloninger, Ryan Cloninger, Adam Cloninger, Taylor Cloninger, Trent Cloninger, Brittani Sherrill Franklin and Byron Sherrill; four great grandchildren, Norah Cloninger, Lennon Cloninger, Drake Wilson and Mia Franklin.

We have lost our hero and best friend. Adequate words cannot match our grief. We can only know that it must match our love for him. To say he was a great man is an understatement. No one loved his family and had more loyalty for the people he loved. He was a trailblazer and a role model. He left a great legacy.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to East Lincoln Optimist Club, PO Box 39, Denver, NC 28037.