I feel totally eviscerated and still cannot believe he is gone. His laughter and sunny disposition truly lifted me out of even the worst doldrums and dark places.  I will never forget that first day I met him back on December 27th, 2005.  Brandon had brought me over to the house to hang out.  When I walked in I thought Tino hated me and was glaring at me.  So I just tried to avoid him as much as possible.  Years later Brandon, Tino, Kevin and I would meet at the eagle on Thursdays and I felt the iciness melt away.  Several years later in March of 2015 we would see each other at my house because he was friends with my roommate.  We were even starting to have friendly conversations and slowly our friendship started to take.  In 2017, we began hanging out in the throes of my breakup, and the beginning of his.  That is when, nearly 12 years later, I found out that I was wrong.  When I told him I thought he hated me from that first moment, he laughed. “Everyone always thinks that!  I’m just shy, and as for the glaring, I was actually just trying to see, because I never wanted to wear glasses. As time went on, and we both had come out the worst of our respective breakups, we hung out more and more.  After I bought my place here in Lakewood, and Tino got busier at work it turned out that we wound up with the same days off.  We understood each other because I had taken care of my grandparents and lived with them, and ultimately my grandma at my mom’s house.  So we had similar responsibilities as well.  Our relationships with our mothers as our friends was another commonality we shared.

Tino, however, is a much better son and friend to his mother.  He loved her so much and couldn't imagine life without her.  He took her everywhere , to bingo, to the stores, to family functions, the doctors, blackhawk, dinner, wherever she wanted to go, he was her date. 
If, on the off chance, you hurt his feelings or wronged him in any way,  Tino would not waste a moment in anguish. He told you up front how and why you hurt him and you would hopefully apologize, acknowledge the issue, and ideally work on fixing it so it would not be a problem again.  And just like that it was over and done with and you would be right back to having reads roaring good time. He told me constantly that I gotta do the same because he knew I hated being sad or mad or hurt, and that avoiding it would only ensure misery’s return.  Only open mouths get fed, our friend BJ used to say.  Thanks to Tino I and so many others in our lives are able to make that a reality in their lives.

And we are all better off for him showing us that simple solution to a happy life. For instance, whereas before he taught me to be up front and honest, I would have reacted differently when I would be trying to see where the delivery guy or Amazon was outside across the courtyard through the glass of my storm door, and Tino would turn the door knob unlatching the door just as I would lean in and press my face against the door.  I would spill out the door, tumbling and fumbling, (sometimes in a towel which if you knew me, you'd know I can't even tie my shoes  so inevitably I would wind up towel-less & the delivery person would never fail to be walking around the corner up to my door.  Since Tino’s sunny disposition had rubbed off on me, I thought it was hilarious too and joined him in laughing   Which only made him laugh harder.  We laughed till we were both on the ground clutching our stomachs. We always had a great time together and everyone who knew us will remember us laughing till it hurt most of the time.  And even though on occasion our laughter came at inopportune moments,and seriously frustrated some people, he and I were not about to miss an opportunity to laugh. So if that opportunity arose, we went with it.  Neither of us believed it was worth our time trying to swim upstream from what life brought before us, even if we didn’t understand why at the time, we had this unspoken understanding that this was the way, or the will of God, the path of least resistance.

He was a good person, a great friend, an even better son and sibling, and a most fun travel companion. I've never missed so many flights or made so many by the hair on my chin. He put up with me and helped me before, during,  and after my hip replacement. Taught me how to clean anything the right way. If it was Monday you could count on us being together laughing our tails off (sometimes literally as pups), watching The Royals (with Elizabeth Hurley) laughing while quoting her "Walk away Robert!'' scene, and finishing each other's sentences if not saying the same thing word for word spontaneously.  Throughout the entire night (and if i am being honest - throughout the entire week!) we would trade memes and tik tok videos that made us laugh and/or think of each other.  His favorites were pranks and animal bloopers.  He couldn't get enough of the dog and cat epic fails. The videos I shared that he liked best mostly came from a handful of sources:  Drake Kiker and his “hey mom!” jokes, dlodrigue with his big head derek videos, and twunkthetwink with his gay social commentary videos.  And lately the Irish mom who reads dad jokes and reads barely qualifies because she cannot stop laughing long enough to be understood.  I can still hear his laugh and see his face, even his hand on his belly while he would say “Don't Make Me Laugh!  I can’t any more!  My belly hurts!”


And don't worry, all of us will chip in and help make sure your mom is taken care of almost as good as if you were here, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna take a whole team of us and we already know we wont ever hold a candle to your care of her!  I promise I'll take her to bingo at least one Friday a month, and Doug and Anthony will too.  Thank you for making me a better person, and helping me realize that it’s not only ok to be me and to feel or express what I feel, I.m the best person for the job.  Each of us, is the best person, is best equipped to be the only one for the job of being ourselves, and we cannot be replaced.  I can only hope to make an impact even half as big as the impact I know you've had on me, and I am starting to realize you had on everyone whose lives you touched.  I'm so sorry I wasn't able to save you or help prevent it.  I am glad I was there with you, that you weren't alone, or driving or that your mom didn't have to go through that.  I hope you can forgive me for not having caught on and taken you to the doctor.  I know you're watching over us all (laughing and shaking your head in disbelief sometimes, and I am pretty sure that at least one time this month when I fall out the front door, I’ll know it was you who pushed me!  Thank You, I love You and I Miss You so much already

PS we leave for Miami May 1, don't be late!



   -Tino-
A friend like you is something rare, special  and honor to have. You really stayed true through and through. I will always cherish to times we spent with one another. You have a way about you Tino that brings a smile on my mind and puts laughter to the beat of heart.  Tino,  lifting to all , a courageous spirit, trust worthy comrade, caring and posed with manners that makes a mother proud. Forever young you stay stylish signatures the euthanistic repertoire one of a kind hell of a good man.

 FROM A FRIEND TO A FRIEND! 
   Until our paths come together again.....
Love,
Caleb K. Sharp

Tino, my energizer bunny brother.  I always loved how you where the one who could keep up  or even out do me when it came to always having lots of energy. Thanks for always making me feel included and special.  You will be missed 

OBITUARY

Valentin "Tino" Renteria

8 February, 1977 – 28 March, 2022

Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services – Runyan-Stevenson

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