Anthony Neal Imani Solomon Sundquist ("Sunny")

Tribute to Anthony Neal Imani Solomon Sundquist ("Sunny")

Sunrise Thursday, October 12th, 1995;

Sunset Thursday, July 25th, 2024

Ithaca, NY

Anthony Neal Imani Solomon Sundquist (“Sunny”) came into this wonderful, horrible world like a ray of sunshine, just past 12:30 pm on Thursday, October 12, 1995.

His Beautiful and Eternal Soul has left this physical realm, and he has joined the Creator, his beloved, always there for him, Uncle Bobby (whose home was his second home), many other loved ones, and his ancestors in Paradise.

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." ~ (John 10:28-30 NIV)

Anthony/“Sunny” is immortal, and we will see him again, but it is still an unfathomably painful and incomprehensible loss that will hopefully bring people together to honor him and to support one another. This hurts too much.

In spite of his natural flow and intuition for rhythm and rhyme, very tragically and unexpectedly, his heart stopped beating on Thursday, July 25, 2024 sometime after 4:20 pm due to “very, very sudden cardiac arrhythmia” on the Southside of (upstate) Ithaca, NY (“I-Town”), in his beloved, extremely well-organized South Corn Street home of many years.

No anatomical or genetic abnormalities.  Very clear arteries.  Not a blood clot. Not a heart Attack. Not a stroke. Not an aneurysm. No drugs.  Excellent physical condition. Stress, especially chronic, long-term, unrelenting stress, can kill.

There was an interruption in the electrical impulse in his heart.  A broken heart.

His passing was through no action or fault on his part. He loved life. He wanted to live.

If given the choice, please choose life, and always choose love.

Anthony leaves behind four broken-hearted, young children: X’arius (age 8), Lilithia (“Lili,” age 5), Endri (age 3), and Dream (age 3).  As “Daddy” or “Dada,” Anthony was devoted to his children and they were his number one priority and his true love, in spite of any obstacles placed before him.

He spent time being with them, cuddling with them, comforting them, feeding and caring for them, reading books to them, listening to them, talking to them about their feelings and life and people, and having fun with them. He never would have left his children intentionally.

He wanted to protect and guide them and raise them up to be decent, genuine, honest human beings who would have good lives and good futures and who would always seek the power of knowledge, justice, and truth. And love is truth, and love is enduring.

God is Love.

Anthony/"Sunny" is also survived by his parents, Lisa Marie Sundquist of Ithaca, NY, the children's "Na-Na," and Anthony (“Tony”) Solomon of South Carolina, the children's "Grandpa," his (Anthony's) paternal grandmother, Mrs. Thomasina Solomon, an older sister, Tereen, and a younger brother, “A.J.,” along with a niece and nephew, uncles and aunts, and many cousins, and friends, and friends who became family.

He was predeceased by his maternal grandmother, Rebecca ("Becky") Sundquist-Lux; his maternal grandfather, Peter Ivan Sundquist; and his paternal grandfather, Henry Solomon. Sadly, he was predeceased by far too many family members and loved ones to mention them all, but recent losses involved the passing of his (maternal) Aunt Linda and his paternal uncle, Keith, who went on to join Anthony/"Sunny" shortly after he passed.

Anthony must surely also be in Heaven with his dogs, Dewie and BoBo, and his other good boy, "J," and his two good bunnies, Hip Hop and Joey.

When he was a young child, Anthony was predeceased by his teenage cousin, Jessica Stoel (and Ryan and Laura). Anthony and Jessica formed such a strong, loving bond. He must have run to embrace her and have been filled with exceeding joy at their reunion, as we all will be. "Fare thee well broken heart; this is where we must part"

"Sunny" is also grieved by his loyal and utterly adoring dog, Odin, who was present at his passing and stayed with Anthony until humans could find him, and who was also present at the service at Bang's and the repass at the Southside Community Center.

Anthony was only 28, but he was busy striving to live his best life and he had many gifts, talents, skills, and hopes and dreams, along with the many dreams and accomplishments he had already realized. He was on a Spiritual journey and a path to achieve complete self actualisation.

His most important dreams have always involved his children, and while humans don't become angels (because they are a different species), his Spirit is surely watching over them in a "cloud of witnesses." He hears them and sees them and loves them without end, and will visit in their dreams and leave signs. "Daddy loves you, always and forever."

Anthony was a well-loved, loving, involved "Daddy," who kept his children safe and secure. He was a hard-working, go-getter, an upstanding "Young, Gifted, and Black," Native Ithacan man, who had also earned a degree in Sport Management, who had planned to also earn degrees in Business Management and Business Administration, and who had graduated from a vocational H-VAC program, "Energy Warriors," had worked with "Cozy Basements" and had earned his OSHA 10 certification, and was a certified weatherization specialist.

Anthony/"Sunny" had developed a business plan to start his own company, ("SunCorp").

Anthony also worked at Ithaca ReUse, where he excelled in the shoe department due to his artistic gift, sense of style, and his "Libra" sense of beauty, balance, order, and fairness.

He created and ran a gaming and clothing company and he was the sole designer.

He called his gaming and exclusive-design apparel company, "Killcode." He planned to launch several businesses. He was also preparing to do a week of modeling in Florida in August 2024 before he passed suddenly at the end of July 2024.

Anthony/"Sunny" was writing a book he entitled "Sphera," which is an intricate story about another solar system of his creation. He created a setting and scenarios, and had created and drawn multiple characters that he had practically breathed life into for his very detailed fantasy adventure story (this will be revisited to be copied and bound, at a later date, God willing). He was truly a gifted artist and a creative writer.

Anthony had traveled extensively within the continental United States, including places such as NYC, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn (June 2024), South Carolina and Myrtle Beach, Arizona (twice), Baltimore, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, to name a few, and he had dreamed of traveling to the U.K., Puerto Rico, Finland, Sweden, France, Colombia, Chile, and to the continent of Africa, also to name just a few.

Anthony/"Sunny" was intelligent and articulate in his usage of the English language and had worked many years to master an intermediate level of Spanish proficiency, and he possessed an excellent, naturally flowing accent.  He had also worked toward and gained a beginning level in the Finnish language. He was proud to have a direct lineage to Finland and to have African and First People ancestors, "Ojibwe"/"Chipewa" ("Anishinaabeg," "the True People" or the "Original People"), and "Cherokee" ("Ani-Yun'wiya," "the real people"), as well as French, English, and Welsh (settled in Canada) ancestors.

When he was an infant and then a child, he was the nice, smart, beloved, creative, and fun, and funny, built-in playmate at the City Health Club childcare room for many years, where other children were eager to visit for up to 2 hours to "play with Anthony" while their parent/s worked out. This is where he first socialized with other children (beginning when he was 4 months old).

This exposure helped him to learn to share and to effectively deal with different ages and personalities and to be gentle with smaller people, like babies. However, he gained the most experience in dealing with people in the South Hill neighborhood he grew up in on Grandview Court, where he lived for more than 15 years, beginning just before he turned 2.

Previous to that, Anthony went to the Drop-In Children's Center for several years, beginning part-time at 8 months old until he was 5 years old. He was home-schooled for a year, by his Mom during which time, he learned to read and write and draw, to do math, etc., and to love learning. He went on to become a lifelong learner, and he excitedly collected many interesting, educational, and enlightening books for himself and his children.

He was able to be a part of various groups and natural locations, such as gorges and waterfalls, and child-centered and community-centered activities over the years. As a youth, he had worked at Congo Square at the Southside Community Center (SSCC) and he had also held other various jobs, including working alongside his Dad for a brief time at "All the Right Moves," a moving/trucking company in the city.

As a child and as an adult, he was a natural dancer and gifted songwriter, singer/rapper. There was still so much untapped potential waiting to blossom. He had also recently learned how to ride a skateboard and was planning to begin painting and photography.

"If only." He excelled at everything he did. He could do anything.

He had a natural talent for acting. Please see the link below:

https://www.backstage.com/u/sungod/

As a youth, Anthony attended Church at Oasis Christian Fellowship with his Church family and Vacation Bible School at Our Lord's Temple. He had also had a Spiritual experience in an out-of-town, out-of-state Church as an adolescent, where he closed his eyes and felt himself drawn into a warm, Holy Light.

He also attended many sports camps at Cornell University, including a week-long, overnight football camp, and attended Stewart Park Summer Camp, where he especially enjoyed archery and sailing and had fantasized that he would be shooting arrows while galloping on horseback through the forest.

As a child, he stayed at an overnight Christian Summer Camp on a lake with water activities, along with a best friend and several cousins. He camped with CLCS and several other groups and learned survival skills through Primitive Pursuits. As an adult, he was already packed and planning a near-future camping trip to Maine.

Anthony always said that he felt his Spirit (or totem) animal was an owl, but he expressed an affinity for tigers and other animals, as well.

Anthony attended Covenant Love Community School (CLCS) from 1st grade until part of 8th grade, where he was surrounded by love and prayer, after which he transferred to DeWitt Middle School.

He was the cute new boy; polite, but reserved, mysterious, smart, stylish, athletic, and he caused a sensation, with younger girls congregating to watch him pass by in the halls, where they would swoon and scream, "Sunny!"

Everywhere he went, he graced people with his beautiful, sunny smile.

He also had a faint dimple on the right side of his face that he inherited from his Daddy.

And, those brown eyes; the windows to his beautiful soul. Inner beauty to the gills.

After DeWitt, Antony attended other (Ithaca City School District (ICSD) schools.

He attended Ithaca High School (IHS), where he was able to pursue his passion for playing football. He was an All Star Junior Varsity and Varsity (American) Football Line Backer and Defensive End, known for his speed, agility, and his determined ability to take out other players and to sack the quarterback, with his signature "Sunny D" moves. He was also a team player and a good friend. He completed his high school diploma at New Roots Charter School.

Anthony/"Sunny" informally taught his classmates to play soccer at CLCS, he had played football with the Ithaca Youth Bureau (as well as at the ICSD), and he had also played Lacrosse and Basketball. and it was a dream of his to coach and work at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) and/or the Ithaca City School District (ICSD).

When Anthony was ready to play his first football season, as a little kid, his Mom asked the coach if the bigger boys were going to squish her little boy. He said, "Yes, does he run fast?" "Yes." "He will have to learn to run faster." He did. And he wanted the football bad enough to dive into any puddle anywhere. Like a tiger in a swamp.

While in the after-school program at the YMCA, Anthony took swimming lessons from a young age and could swim faster than anybody in the pool (as long as he had a flotation board). Once, he allowed everybody else in the "big pool," while they were swimming the length of the pool, to have a head-start. He caught his Mom's eye to make sure she was watching, and then he calmly and triumphantly passed everyone. He prevailed, even at a young age.

While still a student at CLCS, he excelled each year at the President's Physical Fitness Test (under President Obama), especially when it came to the track event. The school would have him run with the older boys because he was so fast. He stated how he would pace himself and then he would speed up and leave other runners "in his dust."

The track event at CLCS was always a beautiful display of unconditional love and support, as the runners who had already finished would run alongside other struggling runners to cheer them on, and other students would line the track to wave and display encouraging banners and signs and to also cheer them on.

Anthony/"Sunny" was approximately 6' 2:" tall, slim, and athletic, he was always striving to eat well, was an excellent cook, and he had enjoyed a membership at Island Fitness, where he joked that it was "boujee," adding with a laugh, "I like boujee."

His real beauty and value was inside.

Anthony had had a long-standing interest in joining the Masons and also in joining the National Guard. He had coordinated gaming and sports events at TC3, had completed an apprenticeship at the Cornell Landscape Architecture  Department, had completed an apprenticeship at Ithaca ReUse, and among other things, he was especially proud to have "managed the chaos in an online server of over 1K people as the project was abandoned by the owners" (Lurkers Web 3 Brand, now defunct). He also played online under "SunGod 607." He was a critical thinker. He was wise and intuitive and loyal.

People were magnetically drawn to his determination, creativity, and quiet, confident leadership style, and they gave him their trust. An added bonus was that Anthony/"Sunny" could be hilarious with his understated humor, intelligence, wit, and perfect timing. He also maintained an online gamer personality, "Stabs Only."

Anthony enjoyed knowing how many times he had escaped death. As an infant, born October 12th, the house burned down just after 4 am on December 20th, 1995, several weeks after he was born, and everyone was asleep. Baby Anthony and his mother and father were saved by beeping, flashing smoke detectors hung over the doorways. (Please check yours <3.)

Several other incidents could have caused mortal harm, such as climbing a teetering, unstable fire tower in the Adirondacks, or attempting to ride his bike from Ithaca to Elmira because he wanted to visit a girl (his Mom was hysterical, but secretly proud that he could ride a bicycle 30 miles), but the scariest time was when his side of the van was t-boned by a drunk driver when dropping off a teammate after basketball practice.

So why now? Was he given more time the other times? Was he spared something worse? We may never have any or all of the answers while we are on this Earth, but stick around anyway. Never quit. Never give up.

Anthony held up the ideals of "sisu" (a Finnish concept meaning guts and determination) and also of being stoic. He was a warrior. He prevails.

Anthony/"Sunny" spent his life learning, growing, and seeking truth.

Being truly strong is being fully human and being fully in touch with your emotions.

It is not a weakness to be kind or to cry.

In Anthony's/"Sunny's" memory and honor, make the world a better place like he did

and be true to yourself by following your own best path. We all have our own journey.

Be authentic like he was.

Please always share any special memories, photos, and/or videos of him with his children and family, on Facebook, or even on this page. Thank you so much.

He is very painfully missed.

Of all of his favorite pastimes during his relatively brief life, he most treasured the precious time that he spent with his children, his treasures on Earth.  His heart. His blood. This is being so extensively written so that they might be able to look back and read this about their Daddy, even years from now.  <3 <3 <3 <3

If you feel so inclined as to make a financial contribution to the family, there is a link below to a Go Fund Me page. Thank you for any consideration, and thank you so very much to all who have already provided support, whether it be financial, emotional, and/or Spiritual. There has been a very moving outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the community. We are One.

Please know that you are all so loved and so appreciated, and please understand

And forgive the family's inability to fully respond to and thank everyone properly.

We are overcome with trauma, shock, and grief. We are broken.

Your love and prayers truly carry us.

Thank you.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-anthonys-family/donations