Tony Collen

Anthony Collen, age 45, of Hopkins MN, passed away from unexpected early onset heart disease on July 17, 2024. Tony was born in Wisconsin to Gabriella and Thomas Collen in 1978. In 1985 the family, including younger sister Ann, relocated to Apple Valley, MN and later to Plymouth, MN.

From a young age, Tony loved computers and anything tech related. As a child, he often dismantled items around the house to see how they worked and attempted to put back together in working order. His interest in technology led him to pursue a career as a software developer. His technical mind and interest in software engineering gave him both lifelong friends and an enduringly happy marriage.

Tony met his wife Heather in 1997 when they were both studying at the University of Minnesota. They were drawn to each other due to their compatibly quirky natures and a shared sense of humor in parts dry, dark, and silly. They were married in 2009 and lived in St. Paul before moving to Hopkins. Tony and Heather were happiest when spending time with each other, whether at home, getting together with their extended family or friends, out on daily walks, or on their numerous trips to their favorite resort in Manitoba.

Tony will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and humor. His authenticity and inquisitiveness were apparent to everyone he met. He had a wide range of interests and was always curious about how things worked. Some of his interests included amateur radio (call sign N0RUA), weather and storm spotting, video games (his nephew Brady describes him as "the best Mario player ever"), and board games. He also loved hiking, biking, kayaking and generally being outdoors in nature, especially with Heather and his portable ham radio for company.

Technology was both his career and his passion. He particularly enjoyed how technology could bring people together and went out his way to foster connections with people who shared his numerous interests. Tony also enjoyed working on new and interesting projects and often preferred working as a contractor. His career enabled him to shift between projects, which kept him engaged and helped him build an enormous network through the tech community. Tony was a connector in the Twin Cities tech scene; he organized Ruby.MN, Elixir meetups, and was an active volunteer and presenter at Minnebar and Minnedemos. Tony will be missed by the numerous people he knew, whether their connection was in-person, online, or over the air.

Tony is survived by his loving wife Heather Collen (née Starr), his parents Gabriella and Thomas Collen of West End, NC, and sister Ann (Quinn) Cameron of Pinehurst, NC. He is also survived by his parents-in-law Jeanne and John Starczewski; siblings-in-law Liz Starr, Jack Starr, and Cara Starr; niece Piper and nephews Brady, Ivan, and Otto; and many other dear family and friends. Tony was a loving and generous husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Although often quiet and introspective, he was in many ways larger than life and he will be remembered and missed by many.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 28 from 11-3 at the Minnetonka Community Center (14600 Minnetonka Blvd). It will be an open house with lunch and eulogies will be given at 1pm.

In lieu of flowers, tribute donations to the Minnesota Land Trust are preferred: https://mnland.org/get-involved/give/tribute-gift/