Drs. Mary and Tony Amon: A Shared Calling, a Community Home

More than 30 years of family medicine, mentorship, and connection in the Willmar community.

On November 1, 1994, Willmar was met with an unusually mild fall day for Minnesota, with temperatures hovering near 60 degrees. It was also the day Drs. Tony and Mary Amon began their family medicine careers in Willmar, an early sign, perhaps, of the warmth and steadiness they would bring to the community for decades to come.

Their first day unfolded at the former Family Practice Medical Center (FPMC) Clinic on 3rd Street, across from Rick's Schwinn, during a time of transition. FPMC and Rice Memorial Hospital had recently formed an LLC, and the new clinic at the Lakeland Building wasn't quite ready yet, leaving space limited. For the first few months everyone worked reduced schedules until the move was completed in February 1995.

Mary Amon recalls that shortly after joining the practice, one of her first patients asked if she would like to be friends.

"Our families are still great friends to this day!" Mary shared.

From the very beginning, the Amons' approach to medicine was personal, built on trust and genuine connection.

Rooted in Rural Minnesota

Both Tony and Mary grew up in rural Minnesota towns where relationships mattered and community ties ran deep. Tony was raised in Crookston and attended St. John's University before medical school in Duluth. Mary was born in Bird Island, graduated from Breckenridge High School, and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, also continuing on to medical school in Duluth.

It was here that they first met.

Their commitment to rural care deepened during their third year of medical school through their experiences with the University of Minnesota's Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), a nine-month immersive experience designed to prepare physicians for rural practice. Tony was placed in Blue Earth, Minnesota, while Mary completed her time at Family Practice Medical Center in Willmar.

A Practice That Felt Like Home

For Mary, her RPAP experience at FPMC was especially formative. Working closely with Drs. Lyle Munneke and Mike Morris as her primary preceptors, along with Drs. Kevin Switzer and Dennis Peterson, she gained firsthand exposure to the relationships, teamwork, and trust that define rural family medicine.

"The experience with this group and the medical community in Willmar, including many physicians at ACMC who encouraged us to return, made it the perfect practice to join following completion of our residency," explained Mary.

Drawn to the sense of collaboration and community, they returned to Willmar after their Family Medicine Residency in Sioux Falls, ready to begin their careers side by side.

Partners in Medicine and in Life

For Drs. Tony and Mary Amon, from the moment they met in medical school, their personal and professional paths became one. They were married just before medical school graduation and headed together to Sioux Falls for residency, intentionally choosing a program known at that time for full-spectrum family medicine and for supporting physician couples.

When they returned to Willmar, flexibility became a cornerstone of both their marriage and how they practiced medicine. Supported by partners who valued balance, they shaped schedules that allowed one of them to be home as much as possible while raising their four children.

That same spirit carried into their relationships with patients. Families came to know and trust them both. "Our patients were gracious in seeing either one of us when the other was at home," said Tony.

Behind the scenes, their partnership brought a deeper level of understanding to both their work and their family life.

"We can 'talk shop' and ask each other questions when one of us has a situation where the other has more experience in," they shared. "We understand what the other is doing when they aren't home on time. We wouldn't know how to be in different careers or even clinics, as we have practiced together, been business partners and even shared an office during the last 32 years."

Doctor Means 'To Teach' in Latin

Alongside caring for patients, teaching has long been central to the Amons' work. From welcoming medical students into their practice to mentoring learners at every stage, education has been a natural extension of how they practice medicine.

"We love passing on the science and art of medicine to students," said Mary.

"Students make us better," Tony agreed. "They ask questions, they are excited about everything, and they are very smart and fun to have around."

Today, that commitment continues as both serve as dedicated faculty for Minnesota's first Rural Family Medicine Residency program in Willmar, which welcomed its inaugural cohort in 2025.

"We had great teachers and mentors during our formative years," they shared. "We know that it's important to pass that on."

Caring for Generations, Woven into Family Stories

After more than three decades in practice, Drs. Mary and Tony Amon measure their impact less by time and more by relationships. What began as caring for individual patients has grown into caring for entire families, often across multiple generations.

"We appreciate being intimately involved in someone's healthcare and developing trust that they will recommend their family and friends; the longevity of seeing multigenerational families and delivering babies of babies we delivered."

That continuity, being present for life's milestones, challenges, and changes, is what has made family medicine in Willmar especially meaningful for them. Over time, professional relationships have naturally deepened.

"People who started as patients are now friends," said Mary. "Helping them through great times and sometimes difficult times is a privilege we don't take for granted."

Their connection to their patients extends beyond the clinic walls. Through school visits, health talks, and years of supporting local sporting events, the Amons are woven into the lives of the community they serve.

"Watching the families we care for grow and seeing them in activities in a variety of ways is very enjoyable," said Tony.

It's this steady presence — rooted in trust, familiarity and genuine care — that has defined their work for more than 30 years.

Where Care and Community Meet

When reflecting on what they might tell their younger selves, the answer comes with the perspective earned through decades of shared work and life.

"Don't take yourself too seriously and remember to enjoy every day with staff and patients. Celebrate more at work."

It's advice shaped by mentors who modeled generosity, community involvement, and balance, and values Mary and Tony have carried forward throughout their own careers.

More than 31 years after that unusually warm November day, Drs. Tony and Mary Amon continue to bring the same steadiness, humility and heart. They remain trusted physicians, generous teachers, and colleagues who are deeply respected and genuinely loved.

And for the families whose stories they've become part of, their care has never been just about medicine; it's been about presence, partnership, and showing up year after year for a community they call home.