Miscellaneous Michigan Obituaries

Michigan Obituaries


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Anthony P. “Tony” CHREST - Of Raleigh, NC, Formerly of Kalamazoo, died April 23, 2002 at his home in Raleigh, NC. He was born on February 27, 1941 to John and Olive (Taylor) Chrest, and lived in numerous places where his father's military career took the family. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Benedicts College in 1963, a Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering Degree from Colorado State Univer-sity in 1964, and in 1966 a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering from Purdue University.

In 1966 Tony joined Walker Parking Consultants Inc., (formerly Carl Walker & Associates, Inc.) as a Structural Engineer and worked in that capacity until 1969 when he left to work in New Zealand and Australia.

He returned to the United States to teach at North Carolina State University in 1972 and returned to Walker Parking Consultants in Elgin, Illinois in 1974. He moved to Kalamazoo in 1979 and served Walker as Senior Vice President and the Corporate Chief Engineer. In 2001, he moved to Raleigh, N.C., where he continued his responsibilities and also served as senior officer of the Walker Raleigh Office. Tony acted as a senior project manager, as well as a senior structural advisor and designer on Walker's largest projects. His responsibilities included project management, structural system concepts, master specification preparation, in-house education and Quality Assurance. He had over 30 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of prestressed concrete parking structures, precast, post- tensioned, and composite.

Tony is also among the national leaders in the design and construction industry. He was a member of American Concrete Institute (ACI) committee 318, which writes the building code requirements for concrete, of ACI committee 301, which writes nationally recognized specifications for concrete, of ACI and Precast Concrete Institute committees on parking structures, which influence building codes and set industry standards, and the Post-Tensioning Institute committee on unbonded tendons. He was a member of many professional organizations and achieved ``Fellow'' status in both The American Concrete Institute and The Prestressed Concrete Institute, and served on several national committees of these organizations. He was a registered professional engineer in 13 states.

In 1989 he co-authored a book "Parking Structures", which defines planning, design, construction, maintenance, and repair of parking facilities. The book is currently in its third edition and is considered to be the textbook of the parking design industry. He authored many technical articles for engineering and construction publications.

Tony and Claire Burgess were united in marriage on February 17, 1968 in Birmingham, Michigan. They had one son, David, who resides in Cary, North Carolina. Tony is survived by his wife of 34 years; son and daughter-in-law, David P. and Amy Chrest; a grandson, Colin Anthony Chrest of Cary, North Carolina; and a sister and niece, Cathy and Ann Howard; a brother, John Chrest and stepmother, Sophie Chrest, all of Denver, Colorado.

This man of good heart was an extraordinary caring husband, father, brother, son, uncle, grandfather, and friend. An Endowment Fund has been set up in his name at Colorado State Univer-sity. Contributions can be made to Colorado State University to the Anthony P. Chrest Fellowship Memorial Fund. For more information about the fund, contact Rise' Landeros at Walker Parking Consultants (616- 381-6080).  source: Kalamazoo Gazette April 30, 2002.

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Addendum: The book Tony co-authored on parking structures is considered the definitive how-to, not just in the U.S., but in other countries as well. The book continues to be in high demand and sells out frequently on Amazon, and Abe's Books, an online store that specializes in high value and rare books.