All Members Must Read This- Tone

[djkymar]

This very bad news =(
REST IN PEACE TONE
RIP

[uncle_asa]

RIP Tone

[webdog]

Just heard today. I am glad to have met Tone and wheeled with him at Moab.
My ride still sports mods from him. I will think of Tone each time I drive my VX.

[Reg Hinnant]

Tone was as unique as the VX he loved. Very sad to see him leave so young.
Godspeed, the only wise speed at which to live........

[tomdietrying]

Someone brought it up, but it was never answered. How did Tone pass away?
Peace.
Tom

[geshaw30]

Someone brought it up, but it was never answered. How did Tone pass away?
Peace.
Tom

Too early to tell yet Tom. It will be a few weeks before test results return and even then it's up to family members to release that information. We might not ever know.

[LittleBeast]

I have not replied yet to this thread, because I was initially out of town on a mission trip to serve people at South Padre. I was heading up the stairs to one of our daily leaders meetings when Lisa called me and told me the news. I was shocked and upset and it was hard to keep from crying. I prayed with Lisa for Tone before getting off the phone and then went into the leader meeting and told a few people in there and some leaders from various colleges around the country lifted up our beloved Tone and his family in prayer. I later was able to use the story of Tone's passing to remind other people of how fragile and precious life is. In fact there were many people who rededicated their lives to the Lord and others who prayed to receive Christ for the 1st time after a discussion where I did mention the passing of one of my close friends back home. I really regret not being able to be there for the service I had a track meet in which I was coaching many athletes, but I was there in heart.

I don't really know why Tone and I grew so close in this last year, nor why God allowed us to have some many meaningful and deep conversations, but none the less for over the past 4 years of my life I have grown ever closer and have learned to respect Tone and all that he lived for, and desired to be more and more each time I saw him. The last 2 times I hung out with Tone were amazing! He came in town to visit his brother in Houston, and while here he and I caught one of the college football games at a local sports bar and afterward we sat in his Benz for over 4 hours in one of the most moving emotional and heart wrenching conversations I have had in my life. We grew so much closer and we both came away with such a better understanding and perspective of each other, and the #1 thing that I love now more than ever that I took away from that conversation was a peace and a knowledge in my heart that Tone had a relationship with God and he was not trusting on himself to buy his way into God's grace's but trusted in God to make a way for him and saw that this way was through the cross of Christ. I know we have different views and belief's on this forum and I am in no way trying to preach here, just simply saying that for me personally it was a comfort to see Tone acknowledge that he was not trusting on his own ability to please God but was trusting in His Creator to save Him, and I feel God has. The next day we had Denny's for breakfast and discussed various churches and beliefs and tons of other things and it was just great to see this deeper side of Tone beyond all the amazing knowledge of all things cars the man was blessed with.

The next time we hung out was actually at his brother's house in Houston, where Tone and his brother were putting some drywall up in the garage using a busted up old drywall lift and somehow I got power steering fluid and a very small piece of metal stuck in my eye from crawling up under the VX. Tone was debating on getting some Nitto Dune Grapplers for the Benz before Moab this year but I don't think anyone was supposed to know that Then he and I had many great phone calls and conversation about various things, relationships, cars, and the like. He was the first one 2 weeks ago I called and asked about my muffler which had broken off from the flange to the header and he knew exactly what I was talking about and sent me photos to help with the repair in under 10 mins. He then went and tried to find the part I needed. Then the day before Tone passed He and I were talking about the new 3rd members I just got. The last text I got from Tone was at 9:36pm on 3/13/09, the day before his passing. He was still offering his garage/shop for us to install the 3rd members and do the diff drop. Now I really wish I would've taken him up on his offer sooner, not so I would get the work done, but because I could have had some more time with Tone. I know most of you feel the same and I am proud to call myself a small part of this great VehiCross family. We have lost a dear friend and an amazing man, but he shall forever live on (in heaven with God I believe) in our hearts and minds and memories. His value to this site and to those who knew him is to great to be measured, but Tone know that we miss you, and may you rest in eternity with Your Creator as you rest in our hearts and minds.