Mountain State native Tonie Renner Gentile had a lifelong passion for music that endured through her brief battle with breast cancer.
Following her death at 52, her family is celebrating her memory with a Morgantown benefit concert that will aid early detection efforts led by the WVU Cancer Institute.
The Friday concert at Mylan Park’s Mon County Center features country acts Cooper Crossing, Wyatt Turner and Haley and the Hard Way. Doors open at 6 p.m., with music beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Proceeds benefit the WVU Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, which works to improve cancer outcomes throughout Appalachia via community engagement and outreach, research, education and more.
The WVU Cancer Institute’s Mobile Cancer Screening Program provides access to cancer screening across West Virginia to reduce the impact of cancer through early detection. In 2023, the WVU Cancer Institute provided 4,052 mobile screenings — including 2,469 mammograms and 1,583 lung cancer screenings — and identified 18 cancers.
“Bonnie’s Bus has provided over 30,000 mammograms to people who may not have otherwise received one,” Stephenie Kennedy-Rea, Ed.D., chair of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control in the WVU School of Medicine and associate director of the WVU Cancer Institute, said. “Our mobile units are so important in reaching those without access and improving health equity across the state.”
Mark Gentile, Tonie’s husband of 27 years, said his goal is to help other families conquer cancer through early detection. He said his wife suspected something was wrong, but she waited until it was too late to seek treatment. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in July 2022 and died Feb. 7, 2023.
“One reason I really liked the WVU program is that it’s a statewide program,” Mark said. “It’s not just local to one community or one location. It goes across the entire state. The more we can reach out, the more we can support, the better chance that someone won’t go through what we went through.”
Tonie grew up in Granville, where she enjoyed hearing the Mountaineer Marching Band play “Country Roads” during practice. She met Mark at the Granville Fire Department, where her father, Gary, served as the fire chief and she and her brother, Gary Lee, volunteered.
As Mark pursued professional firefighting opportunities, the couple moved to Rocky Hill, Conn., in 1995 and later had a son, Tanner. Tonie worked for a medical consulting company that provides support for first responders, beginning her career in the mailroom and eventually working her way up to director of operations.
Concert tickets were always Mark’s go-to gift for Tonie because of her love for music. In the early years of their relationship, he was mesmerized by her ability to name the title and artist of the songs on MTV within a few notes. Her musical tastes were diverse, but she favored country artists such as Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Florida Georgia Line.
After Tonie’s passing, Mark established a nonprofit organization, Tonie’s Fund, inspired by her interest in music and a fire department tradition.
“My fire department and a lot of fire departments, we have a memorial wall,” Mark said. “All of the names of our past members, when they pass, get placed on the wall in the hope that if you speak the name, it’s never forgotten. That’s kind of what gave me this idea. If we keep having concerts and keep raising money for scholarships in her name, then nobody will ever forget her.”
Tonie’s Fund supports programs focused on the early detection of breast cancer and provides scholarships for Rocky Hill-area high school students pursuing careers as first responders. The organization’s first concert, held March 10 in Connecticut, raised enough money to support scholarships for three students and contribute $10,000 to the Hospital of Central Connecticut.
Tickets and information about Friday’s concert benefit in Morgantown are available at ToniesFund.org. Tickets are $50.
Supporters can honor a loved one who has battled cancer on the concert’s tribute wall by contacting Mark at tonies.fund@yahoo.com.
