We are celebrating a great man that God used over and over again to bless other people.
Tony Wansley was a caring and loving husband,(Father, Paw Paw) He was not only a man of great passion,but he was also 
a man that showed compassion for his fellowman.
Tony loved people and people loved him. Tony never met a stranger. 

God spared Tony from death many times: While serving in the Air Force he was
scheduled for a flight ...he became ill at the last moment and could not travel...
the plane crashed and was never heard from again. On another occassion he was
in a boat that overturned. Tony was in full military gear. Tony swam as far as he could
wearing his boots. He was drowning, when a man from his unit made it to shore, took off his boots and swam back and saved Tony.

About a year ago Tony had a heart attack...the doctors were unsure of what could
be done. Three cardiologists agreed that all areas were blocked with no place to by-pass.
After prayer, the doctor came back and told Tony that God had given everybody else 
one heart valve but for Tony, he had two heart valves and therefore the blood was flowing
and he would be fine.

Tony was "The Car Man".
There was a golden thread throughout Tony's life of how God used him in the car
business to bless people in all walks of life. He assisted celeberties, prophets, preachers, even strangers on the street. In the early portion of Elvis Presley's career. Tony met him in Mobile, Alabama and loaned him a car to drive. Elvis wrote Tony a wonderful letter
thanking him for the use of the car during his time of need.
One hot summer day while looking out his office window on the car lot, Tony saw a man walking
(only one leg, on crutches). Tony was so moved with compassion...He called me and said I am going to give that man a car. My response was, "do it Tony". Tony went out and gave the man the keys, title, etc., and sent the man on his way. Another time that God used Tony was with Evangelist Jerry B. Walker. Jerry B. was scheduled for a meeting in Alexandria...the Lord spoke to Jerry B. and told him to buy a one way ticket to Alexandria and there would be a man of God there to bless him. In Alexandria ,God spoke to Tony ...urging Tony to give him a classic mercedes. Jerry B was a huge fan classic cars. On another occassion a preacher came to Tony seeking help with transportation. He told Tony that he had no money his car was inoperative, his mother had died and he needed a way to get to Texas. Tony gave the preacher money and a car and told the preacher"You never know when you might need a good car man". Several years later that same preacher was standing in the lobby of Cabrini Hospital and heard someone say that Tony Wansley was upstairs having open heart surgery. The preacher walked into Tony's room and said,"Brother Tony you never know when you might need a good preacher, and I am here to pray for you."

One summer Tony and I had the privelege of spending the summer with Ruth Heflin in Virginia while a camp meeting was going on. That summer Tony was moved with compassion as he saw the needs of the people and how they served God uncondintionally. Tony went out to a local dealership and bought their new car trade-ins and gave them away. Ruth later said it had been prophosied that a man would come to camp and give away cars. Tony also helped Ruth secure a vehicle after her wreck.

On another occassion, Beverly Poole called us about a family she found living in the back of a truck, Tony and B.J. were so moved by this family's situation, they found them a house, paid the rent, and furnished it completely. it was a couple of months later, Tony felt like he should go by and give the woman money for rent....when he gave the mother the money her very young daughter looked up at Tony and said I prayed last night that we would not have to move again. That summer Tony paid all four of the children's way to church camp, where they all gave their lives to the Lord. The children and mother serve in leadership positions today as well as their later generations.

I have seen my husband stop at a redlight and give needy families money.

I believe God spared Tony Wansley's life many times in order to bless our lives. This is the man that I have known and loved thirty-seven years.