"Antonio's spirit lives on in every act of healing, every moment of transformation, and every heart that opens to love."
Antonio believed in taking action rooted in love and compassion, helping others heal and grow.
He saw the potential for positive change in every situation and every person he encountered.
Antonio understood that healing happens in community and worked to bring people together.
Even in darkness, Antonio maintained hope and inspired others to believe in a brighter future.
Antonio’s light lives on—not only in memory, but in every gesture of care, every reclaimed breath, every step taken toward wholeness. Through each person touched by this work, his spirit continues to illuminate paths forward, reminding us that love never ends—it only transforms.
When we choose to heal, we don’t walk alone. We become part of something greater: a circle of hearts rising together. We honor Antonio not just by remembering who he was, but by living the love he stood for—through every life we touch, including our own.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over eight years without my friend Antonio. He impacted my life in so many ways, but I would say over all, he taught me how to live in the moment.Â
I met Antonio in 7th grade algebra class when we were just twelve years old. We immediately hit it off and became great friends. As the years went by, our friendship grew even stronger as we spent nearly every Friday of senior year hanging out with friends. I’ll never forget the drives we shared to the beach, the park, and all over our small town when we just had to have Chipotle or a Pub sub.Â
I always look back at summer of 2016 very fondly. It was the summer before college. Some of our friends had already gone off for the summer semester, but Antonio and I were home for the summer. We lived that summer to the fullest. When we weren’t laughing at work when we were supposed to be hosting and bussing tables, we spent a lot of time outside in nature and living in the moment before the harsh realities of adulthood would begin in the fall.Â
In college, Antonio and I talked every single day. Both of us had really messed up sleep schedules so we would often talk into the late hours of the night. We exchanged stories about our classes and people that we met. He told me how much he enjoyed what he was learning and how he just couldn’t believe this is what college was. We talked a lot about politics and the government. That was one big passion we shared. In the spring semester, he told me that he felt a calling to do something different, perhaps a little untraditional. He wanted to go to Australia. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go as part of a study abroad, or just take a semester or two off from college, but he knew he wanted to go. He didn’t care about the future and what-ifs. He was living in the moment.
 The last time that I saw my friend was in March of 2019 at a camping music festival. We only spent a few minutes together because we were staying in different camp sites and there was absolutely no signal so it was hard to find each other. But for the short time we spent together, we laughed, we danced, we hugged. We were so happy and we really lived in the moment.
My friend Antonio is on a mission from God. He is gone in the physical- but really his spirit slipped over to the next room where he’s been whispering messages through the walls. When Antonio passed many of us felt the laundry list of emotions; pain, shock, grief, despair. But when everything settled, after a lot of contemplating turmoil and confusion, there was peace.
Death became purposeful. It begins something that many people interpret as an ending.
To all the friends, the loved ones and the people in his life, we were gifted with the task of breathing for him. Of never giving up, of continuing to create, to love, to be playful in this life. I carry my friend with me wherever I go- he sits in my heart and my lungs and speaks to me there. I tell strangers about him, I make sure that all the silly, positive memories burn a little fire that never goes out. Gone in the physical, yes- but through the walls he smiles and listens- watching all of us build and grow. Our purpose moves forward here on Earth while his expands beyond us.
He doesn’t speak in voices but through little things- light pouring through the window, wind weaving between trees. Each moment like this feels like a hug to the heart. God gave us a guardian angel who squeezes our souls like a hand and urges us to keep living life boldly, without apology.
