Tonya Sue Harrison

My, my, Tonya – how the tables have turned!  As the oldest in a large family, you were the one in control.  You were the one who imposed rules like making your siblings eat chalk to gain entry into the playroom.  You were the ‘original rebel' of the Harrison family whose continual pushing of boundaries usually resulted in tighter restrictions being imposed upon the rest of us!

Now that you have passed on, your siblings are in control of memorializing you. We are tempted to exact revenge by writing about how you were a passionate fan of the BYU Cougars and Buffalo Bills; or how you enjoyed trying new, exotic foods; or how you thought loud music was awful, and spent quiet evenings inside knitting and watching Fox News.  But the truth of your life is far more interesting than any story we could ever make up!

The truth is, Tonya's life was struck early on by tragedy.  At only 8 years old, Tonya lost her mother, Gayle Peterson, her brother, Robert Joel, and grandparents, Stan and Vida Peterson.  They were killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Tonya's father, Joel Roy Harrison, was the sole survivor of the accident, and needed to piece together his life so he could raise Tonya, and her younger sisters, Teri Lyn and Tracy. After much deliberation, Joel remarried, bringing Karen Gunnerson and her three children, Cherstein, Bryant and Tom Gunnerson into the lives of Tonya and her sisters, thus merging the lives of six siblings, who all could relate to the tragedy of losing a parent. As the years passed, Tonya's parents made things more interesting – or delightfully insane, depending on your point of view – by adding six additional children to the family:  Kamille, Tara, Meghan, Ashlee, Chad and Matt, thereby creating a "yours, mine, and ours family" to rival any other.  

Tonya experienced other heartbreaks in life, but losing her beloved father, Joel, just five years ago to cancer, is perhaps the most striking of them all. It may have been Tonya's knowledge of how bad things happen to good people that acted as her special motivator to look out for others from all walks of life.

Despite tragedy, Tonya lived and carved out a life that was uniquely her own way.  She was never constrained by convention. She had a lifelong love affair with rock music and her greatest joy was sharing the music she loved with others. 

In 1997, when Tonya learned she would become a mother, we were all curious to see how an infant would fit into her lifestyle of late nights and loud music. The truth is, Tonya embraced this beautifully and blended rock and roll and parenting as only she could. Her daughter, Kendal, has the most striking eyes you will ever see, and an amazing blend of creativity, acceptance, friendliness, smarts, and wit – just like her mother.  We will never forget the sound of Tonya's laugh as she shared with us the hilarious things Kendal did or said on any given day.

Tonya cannot be memorialized without mentioning that she was a fabulous aunt, who thought kids were a riot, and went out of her way to spend time with dozens of nieces and nephews – biological and honorary.

In 2008, Tonya met her best friend, John Lambert. In June 2016, they were married and were truly happy together. We love you, John, and are grateful to you for giving Tonya the gift of your friendship and the happiest years of her life.

Tonya has been described by many as a second mother, a best friend to dozens, a person who gave everything she had to people who needed help, and a person whose door was always open no matter what kind of trouble they were in. Two dogs have been lucky to find themselves with Tonya as their human.  She loved them fiercely, and they loved her right back.

If you want to honor Tonya, invite your friends over to watch the Utes or the Patriots play. Better yet, invite someone who will root for the opposing team.  We suspect that Tonya enjoyed trash talking to the opponent as much as she enjoyed the game itself!  Turn the volume up a little louder and invite the neighbors over to share some laughs and drinks. Give your favorite albums to someone who would enjoy them. Buy an extra concert ticket and take your buddy along with you. Take your younger sibling out to get their first tattoo!

The truth is, as shocked as we were to lose you so suddenly, we have spent more time laughing than crying since you departed.  We feel that is a sign of a life well lived. Thank you for your beautiful example.  Thank you for being the BEST big sister, daughter, aunt, friend, mom, second mom, and wife, we could have asked for.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Tonya's name to the Utah Humane Society, www.utahhumane.org.  A Celebration of Life will be held in the coming days.

Rock on, Tonya!