NORWICH – Tonya Renee Stopford, 34, formerly of Norwich and most recently of Binghamton, went home to be with her Lord on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 5, 2006 at the Robert Packer Hospital of Sayre, Pa., following a short illness.
Born in Norwich on July 5, 1972, Tonya was the daughter of the Rev. Jeremy and Thuvia (Hitchcock) Stopford. She attended the Norwich City schools and was a 1990 graduate of the Valley Heights Christian Academy. Tonya furthered her education by attending the Word of Life Bible Institute of Schroon Lake, from which she graduated in 1991. She enjoyed all the pets she had had over the years, and loved her Lord Savior Jesus Christ and tried to serve him wherever she lived. A people-person, Tonya made friends easily and, during her short stay in Ashton House Nursing Facility in Athens, Pa., she was always willing to do anything she could to help the other residents. Her favorite color was purple, and she took pleasure in her unicorn collection.
Tonya is survived by her parents, Jeremy and Thuvia Stopford of Beaver Meadow; her maternal grandparents, George and Pearl Hitchcock of Norwich; by uncles: Edwin Hitchcock of Norwich, Jeffrey Stopford and wife Janie of Rose Valley, Pa., and Dr. Woodhall Stopford and wife Carolyn of Hillsborough, N.C.; and by great aunts, great uncles and cousins. She was predeceased by her brother, Thomas Fisher, and her natural mother, Judith Hitchcock Fisher.
Funeral services for Tonya will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday from the Calvary Baptist Church in Norwich. The Rev. Alan Miller, pastor of the Bible Church of Richfield Springs, will officiate. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. and again on Sat. morning from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, Tonya’s family has requested memorial contributions be sent to the Valley Heights Christian Academy at 75 Calvary Drive, Norwich, NY 13815; or to the Family Life Ministries, Inc., (Family Life Network Christian Radio) P.O. Box 506, 7634 Campbell Creek Rd., Bath, NY 14810-0506.