William Toomey

Madison - William "Bill" John Toomey, age 86, passed away on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at Oakwood Village West. He was born on March 15, 1927, to William and Jule Toomey in Chicago, Illinois. Bill had an active childhood and was a Boy Scout. He attended South Shore High School in Chicago before graduating early in 1944 to join the Navy during World War II. He was stationed in Tillamook, Oregon and served as a firefighter. Following the war he was employed at the Ford auto assembly plant in Illinois. He attended Grinnell College in Iowa on the GI Bill, where he met the love of his life, Shirley Anderson. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Grinnell in 1951. The couple married on March 24, 1951, and settled in Madison, where they raised three children, established a successful real estate property business and become lifelong Badger sports fans and season ticket holders. He was employed as a salesman for Proctor & Gamble, and several food brokers in Southern Wisconsin before entering the real estate property management business full time. Bill was an outstanding basketball player in high school, college, and played at a local recreational center into his seventies. He and Shirley had 2 different cabins in Waushara County, where they spent every weekend (unless, of course, there was a Badger game!). Bill was an involved member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Gridiron Club, and the UW Boosters, and was active in the Madison property management scene for many years. He and Shirley moved to Oakwood Village in 2011. Bill was so happy to have attended the Honor Flight in October 2012 to Washington, D.C. with his son, Don. He made many friends in all aspects of his life and accomplished so much. He will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents and by an infant son, Steven.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley; his daughters Barbara (Frank) Martin of Austin, Texas and Joanne (Ted) Theobald, of Casper, Wyoming, and his son, Don, of Madison, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2013 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4100 Nakoma Rd., with the Rev. Alex Thornburg officiating. A Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Bill's honor to the church, the Dane County Humane Society or Oakwood Foundation.