Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

A celebration of life is scheduled Friday for Tony Poma, Howell's beloved hot dog vendor, who passed earlier this month.

Visitation begins at 4:30 pm at Community Bible Church in Brighton, with a service to follow at 6 pm.

Poma's red hot dog cart was a fixture at special events across the WHMI listening area, or you could find him selling dogs most days in the parking lot of Byrum Ace Hardware. He also served as grand marshal for Howell's Fantasy of Lights Parade in 2024.

State Rep. Jason Woolford, Tony's stepson, says Poma was all about his love for the people.

"We all have our perfect imperfections, but his goal was to lead people to the Lord Jesus Christ. He cared about their eternity, because at one point, just like in my life, he wasn't a believer. And then he got to know the power and the grace, and the guilt erasing that God gives, and he wanted to share that with others," Woolford told WHMI News.

"He asked me to make sure that people understood that God is real and he's going to be in the very presence of the God that he told thousands about."

Woolford shared a story of what he described as Tony's rough childhood. His father was a Korean War veteran, who Woolford said did not treat him well. Instead of carrying on that legacy, Poma turned turned to God.

"His decision to serve God changed his life, and it changed for decades other people's lives, because he knew the power of making people life, and making people feel special," he said.

"Not the CEOs alone that would come to get a hot dog, but the person that was down and out. He would talk and make everyone feel as if they were the most important. I think he did that because of the way he grew up, and he had the chance to change and be a great guy."

Woolford said Poma was best father, grandfather and great-grandfather, adding he will "miss him horribly."