Obituary
Tonya L. Carr was born July 5, 1968, in Portland, Oregon, to Trudie Carr and James Carr, Sr. She was the second child born to their union. Tonya grew up in Portland, attended Madison High School, and remained a lifelong resident of the city she called home.
Although officially born July 5th, Tonya proudly celebrated her birthday on July 4th, and there was no convincing her otherwise. It seemed fitting that each year the sky filled with fireworks for a woman whose personality could light up a room all on its own.
Tonya was a free spirit who lived life on her own terms. Over the years, she became affectionately known throughout Portland as “Danger,” and if you knew Tonya and her personality, you knew why. She was quick-witted, outspoken, full of personality, and had a tongue as sharp as one of her daddy’s knives. She loved to dress, do hair, shop, laugh, and be surrounded by family and friends. Tonya was often the life of the party, and her home was a place where everyone was welcome.
As a teenager, Tonya worked at Arctic Circle and briefly at UPS, but her true gift was style, and her talent with hair quickly made her the family braider. Still, her life was never measured by a job title, but by the people she loved.
Tonya was the mother of four children: Satanya, who passed away as a baby; Shatoyia; Sir Exzaviere; and Sir Giorgio. She loved her family, took great pride in her children, nieces, and nephews, and always wanted them to live life on their own terms. Like her mother, she opened her home and heart to anyone who needed a place to stay or simply somewhere to feel welcome. To Tonya, family went beyond blood, and she gained countless bonus children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends whom she loved as her own.
Above all, Tonya loved the Lord. Her faith grew even stronger in her final five years, when she began sending morning and nightly prayers by text message and social media to hundreds of people each day. This became her ministry, and she took it seriously. Through every season of life, she held firm to one belief: “My God knows my heart.”
Tonya was preceded in death by her daughter, Satanya Carr-Scott; her parents, James & Trudie; her grandparents, Thomas & Mildred Carr and Henry & Ollie Knawls; her aunt, Hallie Mathews; her uncles, Henry Knawls, Robert Carr Sr., Thomas Carr, and William Carr Sr.; and her nephew, Dominique Carr.
Tonya leaves to cherish her memory her children, Shatoyia (Ashton), Sir Exzaviere, and Sir Giorgio (Sha’Kia); her grandchildren, Giomani, Sincere, and Em’Marie, DJ and Aalaya; her brothers, Dominique “Byron,” Aaron, Jimmy Jr., and sister, Jammie; her aunts, Gloria, Jeanette, Mildred, and Judy; her nieces and nephews, Kanisha, Shaquayia, Vikktoria, Nicole, Nathan, Aubree, Sydney, Tyra, Oren, Andre, Sapphire, and Noraa; and a host of bonus children and grandchildren, cousins, extended family, and lifelong friends whom she loved and claimed as her own.
There may never be enough room to name everyone Tonya loved, prayed for, or welcomed as family. She loved deeply, prayed faithfully, and left an unforgettable impression on everyone blessed to know her. Her prayers, laughter, love, and spirit will live on through the many lives she touched, especially her children.
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