Tom Okano, 41, Enthusiastic Guy

Tom Okano of Middlebury, Ohio was run down outside his home by a 2006 black Mazda 6 sporting a set of Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 ultra performance 18" tires. Ironically, Mr. Okano was a tire salesman and tire fanatic.

Tom had many hobbies, but his passion was tires.

Tires.

Tom would shine no matter what he did with his professional or personal life. He was a dedicated father of two 18 year-old boys (twins) and is also survived by his loving wife of 16 years, Estelle.

"Tom was a madman", claimed a customer who was in the shop recently, "he had a set of tires for Summer and a set for Winter - wheels and everything!"

What seemed to set Tom apart from the crowd was his enthusiasm when he explained things. "He worked in a tire shop, but you'd think he was a professor, his explanations were so thorough", said another customer. "At times, I thought he'd pull out a chalkboard and start drawing diagrams", the customer continued.

Tom spent a stint in Silicon Valley in the early 90's as an interface between code-writing geeks and venture capitalists. He facilitated communication regardless of how disparate the disciplines were. Having earned enough cash to get a job that wasn't quite as "fast-track", he and his family moved to Middlebury in the late 90's and Tom secured a job selling tires at a shop in Columbus, OH.

He is missed most by his family but also by a loyal following of many friends from around the country. "Tom would never hesitate to go out of his way to help someone in need - anyone" said a close friend of the family, but his first love will always be tires.

Tom wanted no sympathy but wanted you to upgrade your ride.