Tonya Rene Baker-Willoughby

Tonya Rene Baker Willoughby, age 56 passed away Thursday, March 14, 2024 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was born on April 5, 1967 in Sikeston, Missouri to Samuel Albert and Michiko Kasuya Baker.

She was a graduate of Greenville High School in 1985. She continued her education at Southwest Missouri State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in marketing in December 1989.

Above all, Tonya, cherished the role of being a devoted mother to her son Aydan , and poured her heart into supporting him in every aspect of his life, whether it be sports, education or teaching him the importance of having faith and a love for God. 

Tonya enjoyed spending time with family & friends, going on vacations, trips to vintage markets, and shopping. She found joy in their moments spent together.

She enjoyed cooking and was known for her monster cookies & potstickers. 

She liked to laugh, had a great sense of humor, and appreciated the occasional practical joke.

Known for her humility and unwavering faith during challenging times, Tonya found strength through prayer and hope for healing. The more she prayed, in faith, the more her strength in the Lord grew.  She always had a heart full of hope that her healing would come, this is what carried her through. 

Survivors include: her father Samuel Albert Baker and his wife Mary,  her beloved son Aydan Willoughby; two brothers, Wade Baker and his wife Kellie of Midwest City, Oklahoma, Terance Baker and his wife Kelly of  Poplar Bluff, Missouri; six sisters, Sonja McLeroy and her husband Todd of Nixa, Tracey Twidwell and her husband Monty of  Lodi, Missouri, Serena McClure and her husband CL of  Greenville, Missouri, Tina Groves of Wichita, Kansas and Marisha Gibbons and her husband John of Clinton, Indiana, Sharon Jones, daughter  of Samuel and Mary Baker, Jackson, Missouri; nine nieces, seven nephews; seven great nephews and ten great nieces and one great-great nephew.  

Tonya is preceded in death by her mother Michiko Kasuya Baker. 

A celebration of Tonya's life will take place on Monday, March 18, 2024. The visitation will be held at 6pm and the funeral service to follow at 7pm at Adams funeral home in Nixa, Missouri. A private family burial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tonya Willoughby trust for her son through Ozark Bank, account number 50054716.

Tonya‘s Legacy, love and devotion will forever live on in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to know her. May she rest in peace, knowing that she touched countless lives with her kindness and strength.