Tony Oksien – a personal view

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Pete
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Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Pete »

Like so many others in the “Mopar” world, I was extremely saddened and shocked at the untimely death of Tony Oksien.

I had known Tony for many years, and have long aspired to live up to his values in terms of knowledge, factual accuracy, and general decency.
As most people are aware, he was instrumental in setting up the “Mopar Muscle Association” which was designed to “bring Chrysler’s heritage to the masses”.

He was the club Chairman for many years, and then moved on to become the Club’s venerated President.

His passion and knowledge of the “Chrysler” Marque was unequalled in the United Kingdom, and through his efforts it became a country which, the USA aside, was the leading light on “Mopar” and Muscle cars in general.

Tony was always engaging and helpful and always had time for people, and he shared his great expertise generously.

His drive, together with Tim Holmes, Richard Berry, and Jim Wilson, and supported by his lovely wife Sharon, establish the “Mopar Euronationals”, which became the cornerstone of events for the year.

I can honestly say that for many years our whole family holiday (and to a degree our lives) was organised around those few precious days at Santa Pod. I am sure that many families did the same. In essence, the people at that event became our extended family, and as ever Tony was at the head of the table.

In this world of hyperbole, when everything is “Awesome” and “Fantastic” and “Epic”, superlatives get thrown around all too easily. However, one thing is for sure. The passing of Tony is a seismic event in the Historic car world. The impact he had on the car scene and the influence he wielded will never be seen again on such a scale. He was simply unique, and we are all the better for having him in our midst.

More than that, he was a very compassionate and charming man who carried responsibility in his public and work life with incredible strength and tenacity. I feel honoured to have known him. I offer my sincere condolences to his family for their great loss.

One thing is certainly sure, he succeeded in his quest to bring Chrysler’s heritage to the Masses.

Love and Peace my friend.

Pete Wiseman, Chairman, MMA.
Pete Wiseman; Cambridge.

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guy whitwam
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by guy whitwam »

Could not have put it better myself , a true description of the man , his ethics and his passion .
thanks Pete
I think you encapsulated what many of us think :salute:
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Dave999
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Dave999 »

I feel truly sad
A nice guy with a passion for his hobby, i always enjoyed his articles in CA, successfully combined his interests and business as a way to support his family, always willing to chat, give advice and help, interested in the RHD end of things as well...
a great loss

my thoughts are with his family, close friends and colleagues

Dave
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Blue
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Blue »

He was the man for RHD Barracuda info, he said he was writing a book about them. Hopefully all the information he had amassed will be kept intact.
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Trigger_Andy
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Trigger_Andy »

He helped me a lot in the last few months with the Barracuda I recently bought and ended up having some nice chats about all things RHD. As soon as I gave him the VIN off of it he instantly knew which one it was and fired back an email with the Reg number which was a huge help.
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MattH
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by MattH »

Blue wrote: Thu Nov 19, 20 12:23 pm He was the man for RHD Barracuda info, he said he was writing a book about them. Hopefully all the information he had amassed will be kept intact.
Very true Blue, he did an appeal for info about the RHD Barracudas. Maybe this could still be pulled together at some time and published, it would be a great tribute to Tony.
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RM23
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by RM23 »

Great post mr chairman he was a lovely man hope this book gets put together :salute:
watch out for the quiet ones ...
JustinMFox
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by JustinMFox »

Nice words Pete

Hopefully the Nats will be back next year and there will be a chance for there to be some proper tributes for him at the event.

RIP
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Steve
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Steve »

Pete, that is such a nice tribute to Tony, thank you very much for posting it,

Best wishes,

Steve
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Ivor
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Ivor »

I bet you didn’t think you would be writing those words so soon Pete.

Beautifully written, his legacy will continue as Andy Elston said through the young enthusiasts and hopefully through his research.
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TyreFryer
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by TyreFryer »

Just to let you all know, we’ve added a tribute to Tony on the MMA website homepage, thanks to Rob (Lane) for the photos.

https://www.moparuk.com/

Cheers, Martin.
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Pete
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Pete »

Many thanks to Rob Lane (1/2 a Twin) and Martin for doing this, really appreciated!
Pete Wiseman; Cambridge.

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RobTwin
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by RobTwin »

:salute:
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Dave999
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Dave999 »

Like it....
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Pete
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Re: Tony Oksien – a personal view

Post by Pete »

Our thoughts are with Tony's Family on this very sad day.

Farewell, El Prez....
Pete Wiseman; Cambridge.

Mopar by the grace of God
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