Furlong had been a member of Hope Christian since it first opened, serving on the prayer ministry, holding the position of executive pastor for a while, and playing in the band that performed during Sunday services and at special events.

Furlong's wife, Joni, says he suffered two seizures in 1998, which led doctors to discover a benign tumor in his brain. Tony went through six weeks of radiation, and then enjoyed many years of health, Joni says. However, last September he was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, the most advanced type. He had surgery the following month to remove as much of the cancer as possible, and then went through six months of chemotherapy with an MRI every two months to make sure the cancer wasn't growing back. Joni says that during this time, other than mild sickness after chemotherapy treatments, her husband seemed to be doing fine.

"It was difficult for some people [to grasp], because he seemed so healthy," she says.

Unfortunately, in May, during his third MRI, it was discovered that the tumor had grown back.

Doctors at UC-San Francisco, where Furlong was treated, enrolled him in the first phase of a clinical trial for an experimental drug, with hopes that it could help his situation. He was scheduled for three infusions of the drug, but was only able to do the first two before he took a turn for the worse, Joni says.

"We knew what the prognosis was, but you always have hope," she says. Furlong died on June 26.

"Now he's in Heaven, which is a much better place for him to be than where he was at the end, isn't it?" Joni asks their 6-year-old son, Sean, who nods. Sean has a brother, Anthony, 8.

Joni says her husband was perhaps best known for his music--he was an integral member in the Hope Christian band for five years, playing electric guitar.

"He could actually play almost any instrument," she says. "Music was his first love. It would have been his day job if we could have afforded it."

Daian Onaka, who served on the prayer team with Furlong at Hope Christian, says, "He had a very good heart. He was always compassionate of other people. He was selfless. Even when he was starting to show the symptoms of the brain tumor, he still made sure to come in and pray for other people."

Joni and Onaka agree that the music Tony played at the church seemed to touch everyone who heard it.

"He was a man of few words; he didn't talk much, but he really expressed himself through his music," Joni says.

"He always came alive when a guitar was in his hand," Onaka says.

Services for Tony Furlong will be held on July 9 at Hope Christian Church, 1975 Pollard Road in Los Gatos. Music will be played by many of his fellow musicians beginning at 1 p.m., and services will begin at 2 p.m.

"I wanted it to be a music-filled day," Joni says.

In addition, a savings account will be set up for Sean and Anthony Furlong at Wells Fargo Bank. For more information, email Joni Furlong at joni.furlong@rosedalemed.com