From the minute I could crawl, Tonbara was the one who showed me the adventurous side of life, while my parents, my older sister, and Sesame Street taught me the smarts. Tonbara was there with me through my first week of sixth grade. After a tough day at school, feeling tired and exhausted, I would listen to his jokes. I would laugh, because this was Tonbara, doing his duty - making people laugh.

I remember one of our family memories with him. We were on our way to Alabama. We finally got to the church where my sister and I were to sing our duet. I started singing (beautifully, I might add) when I saw a chihuahua coming towards me. I stopped in the middle of the song and bolted off the stage. I looked behind me and the dog was still following. While the owner was gathering her dog in her arms, Tonbara looked at me opened mouthed. His face burst into a smile and his rich laughter filled the room. He was cracking up now, tears threatening to fall. I joined in too, at the absurdity of the scene, recuperating enough courage to start the song over again.

The one thing about Tonbara was that he knew how to live life. He looked at the world and saw an audience. Looked at a problem and saw only a bump in the road. He used his gifts and talents to charm us. But most of all, he showed us that living isn’t our duty, but our God given right.

As I sit here today, I think of the influence he must have brought to other’s lives. Influenced and inspired, that was what Tonbara did. He has WON the race; he has fought the good fight. Now he’s in heaven with a higher position. He is now "God’s Chief Jester" - Timi