About Tony/Gbenga
Tony was born in Nigeria, Africa on April 7, 1989. We imagine he was born with that beautiful smile on his face that he wore everyday.
He loved helping other people and never knew a stranger. He passed away in his sleep at 28-years-old.
Friends affectionately referred to him as T-Bone or his African born name, Gbenga. Tony's parents are Mary and Jide Baiyeri. He also has three brothers, Mayowa, Tolulope and Sam. Although, he wasn't the oldest, his maturity and wise words always made them feel like he was older.
Tony and his family lived in England for a few years, moved to El Paso, Texas and then Mission. Tony loved sports. He played football, basketball and ran track. He was everyone's best friend.
He graduated from Sharyland High School and went to TCU to study Kinesiology. Tony was extremely passionate about the medical profession, taking after his mother who is a Pediatric Neurology doctor. He often talked about how much he looked up to his mother, Mary, and admired her. Mary is the most amazing woman, who raised 4 wonderful boys.
Tony then worked really hard to achieve his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. He moved to Austin and loved living near his best friends from high school.
But Gbenga wanted to get back to the city he had grown to love, Fort Worth. He landed a job as a Supervising Physical Therapist at Nova Medical Centers. He even bought his own home and was excited about fixing it up.
His dog Cosmo and cooking beautifully prepared meals brought him joy.
He also dreamed of owning a clinic and was saving money to do so.
Tony touched so many lives, it's hard to sum up his impact with words. His friends often to refer to his contagious smile and ability to make everyone feel seen and heard.
