The broadcasting and Lake County community are preparing to say a final goodbye to Anthony S. Ocepek. Tony, a proud Army veteran, businessman and entrepreneur, passed away on July 3 at 76 years old.
Tony was a 1956 Wadsworth High School graduate who began his communications career with the “Mike Douglas Show” on Cleveland’s KYW after graduating from Kent State University. He built an empire in the communications industry, purchasing WPVL in Painesville and, with partners, had 28 radio stations and 3,000 transmission towers throughout the country when he left the business in 2000.
The memorial services for Tony will be on Saturday, July 11, at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Willoughby. There will be a private family burial at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to Lake Metroparks for the Children’s Schoolhouse Nature Park or to a charity of your choice.
Tony was a businessman and entrepreneur who started his career in the communications industry at Westinghouse Broadcasting, then formed his own corporations that purchased radio stations including WPVL in Painesville and WQAL in Cleveland. He was involved with paging systems, cable TV, cellular, and wireless carriers. In addition to broadcasting and communications Mr. Ocepek had an interest in real estate development including the Heisley Center Corporate and Industrial Park in Mentor.
Active in many business and service organizations, Tony was a part of the Lake County Development Corporation, Lake County Historical Society, and the corporate board of the Holden Arboretum. He was a former trustee of the Lake County Parks Foundation and Phillips-Osborne School and a former member of the Board of Trustees for Mt. Holyoke College and the Waite Hill Land Conservancy. Tony donated his home in Kirtland Hills, now known as the Children’s Schoolhouse Nature Park, to Lake Metroparks in 1988.
Tony loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed nature and the outdoors and believed strongly in environmental education.
