William M. Toneff

William M. Toneff, much-loved high school teacher, enthusiastic birdwatcher and golfer par excellence died on October 11, 2022, at Laurel Lake Retirement Community in Hudson, Ohio. He was 103 years and eight months of age. 

Bill was born on February 22, 1919, in Granite City, Illinois and grew up in Lima, Ohio. He took up golfing while an adolescent caddy; he was still regularly playing 18 holes into his late 90s. 

Bill served in the US Army for four years during World War II, reaching the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He landed on Utah Beach shortly after D-Day. For ten long months he fought Nazi Germany across France, Belgium and into Germany, serving as a forward observer for his infantry unit, directing their artillery fire. These were "the ten worst months of my life," Bill said. Lieutenant Toneff was wounded twice, helped liberate a concentration camp, earned a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, and received a Bronze Star for Bravery. He also managed to develop a life-long appreciation for the simplest and the best things of life. 

With a master's degree in Education and Music from OSU, Bill taught at Garfield Heights High School for 38 years. In 1948, Bill met Ann Thornton, also a music teacher there. They made the most perfect pair and were happily married for 68 years until Ann died in 2017. Residing most of their married life in Brecksville, the Toneff's were devotees of the theatre as well as symphonic music; they regularly attended performances of the Cleveland Orchestra, the Ohio Light Opera, and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and the Shaw Festival in Ontario. 

The Toneffs enjoyed hiking, camping, and traveling. Accomplished birdwatchers, they pursued regular and resident birds as well as rare species across the state and even the country. Long active with the Kirtland Bird Club of Cleveland, they were frequent participants in birding and botany field trips near and far. An avid photographer, Bill documented these field trips with thousands of slides. Bill so loved birding that even at 100 years of age he drove himself to Magee Marsh near Toledo for the spring migration—perhaps the greatest Ohio avian spectacle. When trying to explain the joys of bird watching to non-birders, Bill was fond of saying with an impish laugh: "Well, it is simple, really; birding is the most fun you can have with your clothes on." 

Bill liked to mischievously note that although he was a confirmed agnostic, he was also a member of the United Church of Christ in Brecksville. For decades he even taught Bible Study there. "I attend for the community aspect and to keep my teaching sharp," he noted wryly. Bill leaves behind a treasure trove of friends near and far. Indeed, former students of 50 years ago regularly visited him—a ringing testament to his classroom effectiveness and their abiding affection. 

Bill was a lover of aged cheeses, good beer, Kentucky bourbons, strong opinions, and quick and easy laughter. Cultivating long-enduring friendships was integral to his life. He genuinely cared about the developments of his friends' lives, often using his razor-sharp memory to ask questions that demonstrated his concern and unwavering fondness. 

A devoted reader of fiction, non-fiction, and all manner of poetry made Bill an erudite and enjoyable conversationalist. His ruminations were often peppered with both obvious and obscure literary references, yet his own poetry he too modestly referred to as doggerel. His writing was marked by the same traits that so defined Bill's personality: clever, gracious, witty, and softly sarcastic while still always generous in spirit. This is an exceptionally elusive combination of attributes, and it is what made Bill Toneff so loved and so appreciated by so many for so long. 

A Celebration of Bill Toneff’s life will occur on Saturday, December 3 at 1 PM at the Brecksville United Church of Christ, 23 Public Square. Bill’s body was donated to NEOMED for medical education and research, as per his wishes. Donations in Bill’s honor should be made to the organization of the donor’s choice.

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