James Henry Toner peacefully entered into the presence of his Lord early Thursday morning, April 16, 2020.
James, who went by the name of Jim, had just celebrated his 95th birthday with his loving wife, Shay, his four children and many of their respective family members on March 21, 2020. Jim, a second-generation American, whose family arrived from Drogheda Ireland in 1874, was born March 21, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois where his father worked at Chicago Malleable Iron and Bumper. The family made their way home to Denison, Texas sometime around 1927.
Jim enjoyed growing up on the “Toner Family Farm” west of Denison – where he helped his folks in the gardens; he fished and helped with all aspects of surviving on a farm in those days! His father, was an accomplished Union Coppersmith and Veteran of World War I. Jim idolized his father and often accompanied him on trips to town and back. Growing up, Jim and his oldest sister, Mary, were best friends and ruled the roost until baby sister, Patricia, was born 13 years after Jim.
His mom, whom everyone called Granny, was his hero as she was kind, witty, hard-working and very humorous. Those days on the farm were hard and in a season of teenage discontent at 17, Jim told his dad that he was going to leave home – by evening his dad had his bags packed, given him $3, and said goodbye! His father loved him enough to allow him to be responsible for his choices and it proved a wise thing as it propelled Jim onto a long road of opportunity, prosperity and adventure.
In 1943 Jim joined the Maritime Service as a radioman and his training took him to New York and St Petersburg, Florida! Quite different than Denison! He went to the Philippines on the SS Hinton Helper and then again after a layover in San Francisco he returned to the Philippines on the SS Wesleyan Victory. The war ended soon after and he returned to Denison where he wed his high school sweetheart, Glennis Faye Harris, in 1945. Jim and Faye moved to California where he went to work for several companies including Helms Bakery, Westinghouse and Lockheed before he studied for and became a (Master) Licensed Electrician! During these early years, Jim and Faye had 4 children; Shirley Faye, James Richard, Robert Michael and Peggy Sue and they resided in the Los Angeles area.
Jim worked for the City of LA as an inspector and eventually started his own company, Toner Electric! In the mid-1960’s Jim moved the family to Hollywood and it wasn’t long before he handled the electrical needs in homes of Hollywood stars such as Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The Toner family attended Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene. Jim enjoyed volunteering there to complete the electrical portion of the new sanctuary building and installed gorgeous exterior lighting that showed off the beauty of the church he loved so much!
During those years Jim found relaxation in spending time with family, fishing, going on camping trips and the occasional special and revered hunting trips. Each of the kids received fishing lessons personally from him and for some, it was simply – “Shhh! Don’t scare the fish!”
He was a “Master Fly Fisherman” and tied many of his own flies. His sons were gifted with lessons in tying flies and became stellar fishermen as well! Family was always a priority to Jim and so the family made annual trips ‘home’ to Denison to visit and share time together at the farm.
Jim could always be found behind the scene – helping friends or family members in need (regardless of which side of the family) with bags of groceries or a paid-up medical bill. He had a very big heart. In 1969 Jim relocated to Seattle, Washington. It was there that he met and married Ruth Doktor. While living there he traveled to Alaska and worked on the Pipeline as a skilled electrician for about 6 years. He thoroughly enjoyed and treasured the Alaskan territory and told many stories about the talented Bush Pilots and the friendliness of the Eskimos.
At that same time, Jim became a 32nd Degree Mason and member of the Shriners. He was particularly proud of the work the Shriner’s Hospital for Children does to alleviate injury and pain of children with burns, spinal cord injuries, etc., at no cost to the families. One could often hear him pass Shriner information on if he heard of a child in need. After a few years, Jim returned to California and met Sharon (Shay) Wilkes in El Cajon. They dated and then married in Denison October 17, 1978. Jim and Shay lived in El Cajon where he worked for the Electrical Union at such sites as the Nuclear Power Station in San Clemente and eventually, he began to repair and build computers for Datel in San Diego. Jim was incredibly talented and clever, with a gift in problem-solving – computers so intrigued him and they opened a big door to his future.
He was often a great help to his friends and even his grown children as the internet was becoming more and more a fixture in the workplace. Jim was able to assist by teaching basic computer skills and just like everything else, he excelled at it! In the midst of these happy years, Jim was not to be found sitting down – he was an accomplished key cutter and engraver (working out of the back of his favorite Ford Camper); he enjoyed searching for lost treasures with his metal detector and was an incredibly talented woodworker.
With a desire to own their own home, Jim and Shay moved to Garland in 1989 and he immediately went to work for Comps USA – again building and repairing computers. He was recruited to install new computer systems for the US Post Office and spent several years traveling the United States installing them and training the staff.
He enjoyed the challenges but decided to retire (again) from that job and moved into another role. With so much experience in driving all around America, Jim decided to fill some retirement hours with a part-time job at Ford Motor Company in Dallas. He began a several-year tenure with them by transporting vehicles all across the country. Jim loved to drive and enjoyed the challenge of short-time delivery schedules developing good friendships with his delivery team. They found the best Denny’s and Donut shops in/around the Dallas area and beyond!! He saw most of the USA behind the wheel of a car, truck or van and truly enjoyed it!
Over the years Jim could be found creating many wooden items, each one a dove-tailed work of art. He fashioned memory boxes and hope chests for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He created and crafted specific needs for Shay in her office or her sewing room. He loved to invent things and make every item efficient and workable. His great-grandson, Jake, learned to make wooden pens with him – and his pens were a trademark item – as you never saw Jim without one in his shirt pocket. His kids remember many special times when he would pull the pen from his pocket, grab a napkin or paper placemat at a restaurant and begin to ‘think’ on paper using his pen to draw a solution! We all have treasured those ‘think-tank’ times with him.
Jim’s later years found him as Shay’s assistant (again the computer) when she was working on a project; he was her favorite chauffeur and best friend. He loved to help and being the detailed problem-solver that he was, she often sought his input.
They went to his sister Mary’s home in Denison every few weeks to spend time with her, her kids and their families. One of their favored spots to eat was Huck’s, (cat-fish at its best) and as many kids as were available often joined them for food and catching up. Pretty sure if there is a Huck’s in Heaven, he will find it! Jim and Shay enjoyed planning road trips and traveled around the US, even making an extended trip into Canada and the northern states with her mother. Each year, at least once – Thanksgiving for sure, they traveled to San Diego for a family reunion with their kids and their families.
In recent years, they increased the number of trips to include a funeral for Faye, one of his son’s weddings in Rosarito, Mexico and a grandson’s wedding in Paso Robles – in addition to the annual Thanksgiving trip. Jim drove and Shay crocheted! In the midst of their trips to California and Arizona, they welcomed their kids and grandkids into their home in Garland for visits and fun times of local road trips and historical reminiscence.
This year they made a trip to Arizona so the family could gather to celebrate birthdays – Jim’s 95th and Shay’s 79th! Although the pandemic kept some family away (in an effort to keep him and Shay healthy), 15 family members still gathered in person and others connected via Facetime! The celebration was special and many lovely conversations were had by all as we shared these days of memory-building and companionship.
Jim shared many of his favorite tunes by his favorite vocalists he had bookmarked on his cell phone. Shay sat by his side for hours on end playing those tunes for him in his final hours. We know he was at complete peace hearing the music with his loving wife by his side. As we celebrate this incredible husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin and dear friend, we are reminded that he was – above all – an Investor. He invested in others – sharing his love, blessings, experience, wisdom and faith.
Continuing on here for a time is his beloved wife, Shay, children – Shirley, Rick, Bob & Peg, their spouses, 10 grandchildren and their spouses, nine great-grandchildren, precious nieces, nephews and cousins, along with a myriad of friends around the World. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Jim’s memory to The Shriners Hospital for Children, a 501(c)(3) organization. You can donate via: donate.lovetotherescue.org on behalf of James H. Toner. Our family thanks you.
Services will be held at Charles W. Smith & Sons Funeral Home in Sachse when quarantine parameters are lifted. Please be sure to check their website for additional information and updates. www.cwsfuneralhome.com A second service will be held in California where he will be laid to rest.