Thony Medina

Lee Anthony “Thony” Medina passed away suddenly on July 11, 2024 at the young age of 54.  He was born in Sulphur Springs, TX on November 4, 1969, to Percileono Hernandez Medina and Annie Pearl Latimer Medina.  A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1101 Sycamore St., Commerce.

Gregarious and outgoing, Thony never met a stranger. Strangers became friends. Friends became family.

Thony attended high school in Sulphur Springs, graduating with the class of 1988, and went on to attend Careers Unlimited in Tyler to hone his barber skills. He graduated from there in 1998. He worked as a barber for 26 years and was the owner of Westside Barbershop in Commerce. Thony married the love of his life, Stormy Stogner in May of 2005 and they became inseparable.

When he wasn’t working at the barbershop, Thony had a wide variety of interests. He enjoyed cooking, especially with Stormy. He also enjoyed going fishing with her, their kids, and sometimes his friends.

Since he was a teenager, Thony played Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop RPG games on an almost weekly basis and was able to introduce all four of his kids to the love of the game.He also collected Medieval weaponry and has an extensive collection of sci-fi and fantasy novels.  In his 20s, he discovered bead-stringing jewelry and continued that until just days before his death.

In recent years, Thony and Stormy joined the Society for Creative Anachronism and enjoyed Medieval and Renaissance educational re-enactment, where he took on the persona of Lord Gird Truthsayer (Ephesians 6:14), a tenth century Norse trader.

Thony also took up carving fibre arts tools, spoons, spurtles, combs, and other items that historical figures would have had and used. He worked with wood, antler, bone, cow horn, and mammoth ivory, making incredibly useful but beautiful items. He also had an interest in knife and axe throwing – designing, shaping and sharpening both from sheet steel. Thony was honored to be named the Thrown Weapons Marshal of his local group, The Shire of Rosenfeld.

As a life-long follower of Jesus, Thony strived to show love to everyone he encountered. He also enjoyed discussing the Gospel of Jesus and its practical application to life.

Thony is survived by his wife of 19 years, Stormy; sons, Joshua Medina, Alexander Medina, and Ben Bement and spouse Avery; sister and brother-in-law, Julie and Jason Puckett; mother, Ann Wagner; and numerous extended family members.

He is preceded in death by his father, Percy Medina, and life-long friends who became brothers, John Manning, Thom “Ogre” Davis, and Forrest “Fo” Hedrick.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Dwayne Allen, Dan Baucom, Jeff Cary, Jeff Huff, Justin Jones, Michael McCaffery, Adam Muncy, Doug Powers, Chuck Roberts, Ryan Swann, and Bob Wade.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to assist them during this difficult time https://gofund.me/2be5c25a