In loving memory of Tonya K

Tonya Kay Cassidy

December 24, 1977 – June 5, 2023

Lived 45 years

Vernon Cemetary · Vernon, Indiana

"This is my Jam" - Tonya K Cassidy 25 Random Things in no particular order 1. being a mom is the coolest thing i have ever done! i know i know everyone mom thinks their kid is special but thinking for years that you may never be a mom and coming to terms with it then finding out you are going to be a mom i am truly blessed! 2. i am the luckiest person in the world b/c of my friends! most people say that is you have one really good friend when you die you are lucky but i have way more than that and i love surrounding myself with fun awesome people! 3. if i had to be my own best friend i would probably go crazy and i dont think i would want to hang out with myself hence why i am lucky alot of people actually want to hang out with me! 4. in 2nd grade my friend clayton and myself wanted to be professional clowns...we practiced at recess alot! i think we were pretty good! 5. i love meeting rock stars porn stars and movie stars! they are not like us thats why they make the big bucks! 6. i almost puked after i touched trent reznor of nine inch nails! i was in the front row and he jumped off the stage and tripped over the baracade grabed my hand i wouldnt let go he was laughing then a guard pulled him away from me! i turned around and screamed "i touched trent reznor!" and was soooo excited i vurped! 7. i love sushi! i dont get to eat it much except with my cousin penny and carissa! i worked at a japanese restaurant and that is where i developed the taste for sushi! 8. i almost won a banana eating contest but julie made me laugh! 9. i love animals! i wish i could save them all! 10. i am super sensitive! i cry at weddings graduations sad movies cartoons anything...when i was pregnant i was super uber over the top sensitive and i cried every time the sarah mclaughlin commerical would come on showing all of the animals that were hurt...what am i saying i still do cry when i see it! 11. i love music! listening concerts (sneaking into concerts) playing instruments records and faith no more will forever be the greatest band that has ever lived. PERIOD! metallica a close second! 12. when i was little my dad made me believe elvis was my uncle...i remember telling mom & dad "i really love my uncle elvis!" and i meant it...i also remember the day my brother and i realized elvis was dead. note: presley has be working on her elvisesque hand move and it is pretty awesome! I said see, see, see rider Oh, see what you have done I said see, see, see rider Oh, see what you have done Oh girl, you made me love you Now, now, now your lovin' man has gone 13. i have an irrational fear of robots and dead bodies...my closest friend love to razz me about this and if i ever get a robotic santa for xmas i will have it destroyed...that sh*t is not funny! when i was 4 a robot followed me around at a convention b/c i wouldnt tell it my name and dad was talking to joe ammerman and wasnt paying any attention to me so he was no help! as for the dead body phobia my physch teacher said it is b/c i was in the classroom when my 4th grade teacher suffered a massive heart attack...he was a great kidder and we were reading in our books backwards through the alphabet and shane blackburn didnt know where we were at so mr burkman would have said my name next but we heard him take his last gulp of air which we took for a snore and that he was kidding us then he slid out of his chair and i ran to the office and told the secretary. we were all taken to the library where my friend tj pointed out the window and said "i dont think he made it!" they were carrying him out in a black body bag. i missed his funeral b/c i got chicken pox from will johnson. 14. i so want to be able to sing but i suck...i guess thats why i play instruments! 15. i love books and movies about vampires and people back from the dead (the crow)...there is something so romantic about the whole thing and if lestat ever found me you can bet i would let him bite! lol! 16. i love being a graphic designer and i think i am pretty good at what i do! 17. i also loving being a waitress...i think it is b/c i really do enjoy talking and taking care of people...i worked as a waitress for nearly 11 years in my fathers restaurant (broad acres) here in north vernon! 18. some of the best times in my life were when i was the poorest and i mean poor...we stole ketchup packets to make spaghetti sauce. 19. i went to ball state for almost a semester...i made about 5 good friends in that time and still felt lonely...i guess i wasnt used to being a small fish in a big pond! i hate feeling lonely 20. i love roller coasters! kings island is the best and mike understands the need to get in as many coasters in a day as possible...15 right? 21. i used to sneak out of my mom & dads house steal their oldsmobile and go party with patricia mike and chris 22. i really want to be the first to go...i could not stand seeing man or my closest friends funerals 23. i stuck a skewer all the way through my hand on accident (long story) then i pulled it out and bled alot then drove myself to the emergency room...i just have a little scar 24. my friend patricia and i were nearly abducted by some dude who picked us up hitch hiking in a sports car...we told him we were going to town for cigarettes (we were 14 & 15) and that we were 18 i was in the back seat and he said we should go somewhere and get to know each other better he turned around tweeked my breast and i said we were only 15 so he stopped and let us out but as patricia was getting out he grabbed her and pulled her back into the car locked the door and i when ape sh*t and started pounding on the window...she punched him in the face and unlocked the door and we ran! 25. i won concert tickets to slip knot by singing the ingredients to what i was eating like they would sing it. don stuck though it was so funny he couldnt stop laughing...i am pretty good at singing death metal! rock on! this was alot of fun...i think i could do about 25 more! lol!

Life story

Tonya Kay Cassidy, 45, of North Vernon, passed away on Monday, June 5, 2023, at her residence.

Born December 24, 1977, in Indianapolis, she was the daughter of Wesley P. and Margie Kay (Heilman) Bear. She married William “Bill” Cassidy on September 26, 2011, in Las Vegas; he survives.

Tonya was a 1996 graduate of Jennings County High School and received an associate degree in graphic design from Ivy Tech in 2000.She was a “Rock Star Graphic Designer”. Tonya currently worked as a Real Estate Sales Associate and Director of Marketing for FC Tucker in North Vernon. She had previously worked as a Graphic Designer for the Columbus Republic and the North Vernon Plain Dealer and Sun, Noble Romans Pizza and a Free Lance Graphic Designer. She worked as a waitress for the former Broad Acres Restaurant. Tonya was a member of the Real Estate Association. Tonya enjoyed attending concerts, events with the kids, and collecting antiques. When she was younger, she played the saxophone. Tonya made friends with everyone and loved spending time with her children, family, and her friends.

Surviving with her husband Bill, are her daughters, Autumn (Chris) Brierly of Hanover, Presley Marie Cassidy, Victoria Kay Cassidy, and Gwendolyn Pearl Cassidy, all of North Vernon; her parents, Wesley and Margie Bear of North Vernon; brother, Brian Bear of Seymour; grandchild, Oliver Brierly of Hanover; Best-friend, Angela Spurgeon; and Godfather to her daughters, Mike Dickbernd.

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