While the name Troy Summerell might be unfamiliar to some, almost every person in Hampton Roads knows him very well. Under his pseudonym OnieTonie, Virginia Beach native Troy has been adding smiling schools of fish and mellow sea turtles to our public spaces for a decade. Inspired by the ocean and surf culture, OnieTonie’s happy, playful public art, with its bold colors and crisp black outlines has become a pillar that represents our happy, relaxed coastal community, decorating buildings with his murals in the ViBe Creative Disrict at the Oceanfront, the NEON District in Norfolk, and in our schools. 

Public art pieces are a cornerstone of his work and important to him: “public art can give your city a sense of identity, inspire us to think creatively, unify neighborhoods, and instigate a dignified pride in your community.” Equally important to Troy is to bring joy. “My art is simple, the only message is to make people happy.”.

Troy, a self-taught artist with a marketing degree from James Madison University, chose the name OnieTonie in honor of his late grandmother, Onie. “I named my company and foundation after my grandmother,” Troy shares. “She was a volunteer at Sentara Bayside Hospital for hundreds of volunteer hours, and after she passed away, I was at a crossroads, and I wanted to do something meaningful. Her name was Onie, and her nickname was Tonie. When I decided to start making art, I wanted something unique to sign my art with, so I picked OnieTonie.”

More than a decade ago, Troy was inspired by four simple drawings. “I sat down and drew these four pictures,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘I think I have something,’ and then once I redrew them with smiles, I thought, ‘I really think we've got something.’” Those cheerful designs became his signature style and laid the foundation for the murals seen across Hampton Roads. “It’s colorful, positive, upbeat artwork that just makes you happy in that moment,” says Troy.

With that spirit in mind, Troy launched the nonprofit OnieTonie Foundation to bring deeper meaning to his work. “My inspiration for the foundation was my cousin Josh, who fought leukemia when we were young,” he says. Sadly, Josh passed away, leaving a lasting impression on Troy as a kid.

“My cousin Josh, who was awesome and full of life—he got leukemia when we were kids. When he was diagnosed, I was just a year older than him, and he's been a huge inspiration for me to do this and to try to honor him in some way.”

“When I started OnieTonie,” Troy says, “I wanted to do socks for kids in the hospital. That was the number one thing. Before the murals and the merchandise, I wanted to make socks, so if you're in a hospital bed looking down, you have those two smiley faces looking back at you.” He hadn’t seen much color in hospital settings, so he created non-skid socks featuring his bright artwork and donated them to CHKD.

Those socks led to the creation of the OnieTonie Smiley Pack—a collection of purposeful, comforting items designed for pediatric patients. “Kids going through keto-dialysis,” says Troy, “they may need a water bottle. The turtle plushie can be a companion. The squishy fish is a stress ball. The beanie helps with chemo treatments. Each item could help with something specific. So the intent was that the bag would be purposeful."

While OnieTonie was born from personal loss, Troy has turned grief into purpose by supporting children facing similar struggles. “It’s such a tough thing they are going through—the impact that it has on their siblings, their families. I watched my cousin; it's hard to put into words what he went through.”

In a full-circle moment, the first 50 Smiley Packs were donated to CHKD on what would have been Josh’s birthday. “Giving the first Smiley Packs away on his birthday is something,” says Troy. “I hope it pays it forward to all these kids that could use some help. It lets me know that he's watching over us. You know, this stuff isn't going away, but if you can help them a little bit, then for me that's the purpose. And that can make all the difference in a day.” Since then, the foundation has donated 200 more Smiley Packs to CHKD.

Each pack includes a coloring book and crayons, beanie, squishy fish, turtle plushie, sticker page, wristband, water bottle, non-skid socks, a poster, and a reusable big smiley face tote bag. The goal: to brighten hospital stays and offer comfort to children facing medical challenges. “By delivering these special gifts, we hope to brighten their days and provide a sense of comfort during their time in the hospital.”

“Being able to put murals inside hospitals and affect the patients and their families directly is what it’s all about.”

August 31, 2025, will mark the first anniversary of the OnieTonie Foundation. The organization is currently applying for grants to expand its reach—providing more Smiley Packs and installing vibrant murals in both hospital and home settings. “We need as many people who want to be inspired by this to reach out and help,” says Troy. “As many hospital projects as we can do, as many kids as we can impact at their home, and as many Smiley Packs as we can give out as possible—that's the mission.”

The foundation is seeking support from companies willing to donate items, events interested in partnership, individual donors, and students looking to fundraise. “We are fundraising at the moment,” says Troy. “The big thing is we need to order more packs so we can reach more kids in need.”

“It’s a full-circle moment—it’s a way to give back to these kids, honor my cousin, and do something positive and purposeful.”