Tobin Dale Antpusat Sr.

Tobin Dale Antpusat, Sr, Born November 13, 1963 passed away June 29, 2025 at his home in Orlando, Florida.

A lifetime resident of Central Florida, Tobin was born to first generation Americans from Italy and Lithuania, inheriting their resilience and strong work ethic.

The youngest of 3 sons, Tobin and his brothers, Rodger and Edward, grew up in the pre-Disney era of Florida, sharing a love for all things nautical. A passion for sailing, diving, and the outdoors would continue throughout Tobin’s life, evident in his years of service as an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 78.

After graduating Colonial High School, Tobin attended classes at a technical school, but soon left to pursue his career. A love of animals led to a brief stint as a vet-tech at an animal hospital, but Tobin’s electrical and mechanical skills would lead him to a ground-floor position at one of the earliest cell phone companies, Cellular One. Beginning with a job installing car phones, Tobin soon became a field engineer, a position he would retain for nearly 30 years throughout numerous mergers and acquisitions.

In 2013, after years of working in the cellular industry, Tobin left to pursue his own creative and entrepreneurial endeavors, founding Central Florida Balloon Decor. The company would eventually grow to include a warehouse, numerous employees, and even a retail space, but Tobin retained a hands-on position, designing and constructing support structures and often hand tying hundreds of balloons at a time for elaborate sculptures for events all over the state.

Tobin met Linda Howington while working at an animal hospital. They would marry in 1988 and have two children, Tobin Jr, born 1989, and Kaitlin, born 1991. The couple's love of animals meant that their house was always home to numerous strays, rescues, and other castaways, from dogs and cats to fish, turtles, and large birds.

Tobin will be remembered for his sense of humor, which he retained even in the face of grief or tragedy, his culinary skills passed down from his family from Naples, and his ability to fix or rebuild anything. He is survived by his beloved wife Linda Howington Antpusat, son Tobin Dale and his wife Payton Dale, daughter Kaitlin Meister and her husband David Meister, and his stepfather-in-law Franklin Hungerford.

A celebration of Tobin’s life will be held in Orlando on July 20th. Please email Kaitlin at kaitnmeister@gmail.com for more details.