OLIVER TOOMEY
Died March 13, 2015
Oliver R. Toomey, an Ohio native whose devotion to Wayne County consumed more than half of his 96 years of life, died Friday in Winston-Salem.
He and his wife, Betsy, had moved from Goldsboro only a week before to enter a retirement home in Winston-Salem because he had become infirm. Toomey suffered a stroke the next day and was admitted to a hospice center.
"Ollie" Toomey was a small, spry man with a quick wit and a keen sense of humor. His overarching characteristic was his love of God and his family.
The Toomeys and their two daughters moved to Goldsboro in 1963 when he was appointed executive director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. He retired 20 years later but remained in Goldsboro to work as a volunteer in the community and to stay active in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. The Chamber still honors Toomey each year by presenting the Ollie Toomey Outstanding Service Award to a member who is selected for his contribution to Wayne County and to the Chamber.
Toomey graduated from Colgate University in 1941 and joined the Army Air Corps just before the United States entered World War II. He was serving in Florida when he met Bettye L. "Betsy" Clary of Savannah, Ga., and they were married in 1946.
Upon his discharge, the Toomeys moved to Dover, Ohio, and Toomey went to work in his father's car dealership. But he had a yen for a career in social work, and they moved with their two daughters to Savannah where Ollie worked for the Chamber of Commerce.
He was recruited to Goldsboro in 1963 and ran the Chamber until retiring 20 years later. In retirement he served at various times as interim director of the Chamber and once as interim director of the Wayne County United Way.
Surviving, in addition to Mrs. Toomey, are the two daughters, Georgia T. Wieler and her husband, Dick, of Eatonton, Ga., and Mary T. Johnson, wife of Jim Johnson of Winston-Salem. There are four grandsons, Tuck Wieler of Bishop, Ga., Scott Wieler of Canton, Ga., Mark Johnson of Kill Devil Hills and Matthew Johnson of Corolla; and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church but the date and time have not been established.
Published in Obituaries on March 15, 2015 1:46 PM