Faith, family, and friends- those are three things that defined Jerry Toner\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Jerome \u201cJerry\u201d William Toner was born in Bozeman, MT on July 9, 1934 and passed away on Thursday September 1, 2011. He was the only son born to Wm. Edward Toner and Kathryn \u201cTopsy\u201d Toner.<\/p>\n
Jerry attended Holy Rosary School and was a proud member of the Rosary Bulldogs basketball team. He attended Montana State University and was an active member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. While at MSU, he met and married the love of his life, Freda Chamberlin of Ennis. To their union five children were born: Bill, Sheila, Topsy, Maureen and Brenda. Jerry and Freda began their lives together teaching High School in Browning. They later were educators in Baker, Rudyard and Gardiner. While in Gardiner, Jerry became Superintendent of schools. In 1966 he accepted a position at the Office of Public Instruction in Helena. It was here that they put down roots and more friendships and memories were formed. While in Helena Jerry held positions at OPI, DNRC and MT department of Highways. He was a longtime member of the St. Helena Cathedral Parish and longtime supporter of Carroll, Notre Dame and Bobcat athletics.<\/p>\n
Jerry had a passion for anything coaching or teaching related. He taught everything from religious education to driver\u2019s safety courses, and everything in between. He loved sharing his knowledge of sports, driving, woodworking and Notre Dame Football to anyone who would listen. His acceptance of people from all walks of life made him a favorite of many. He volunteered his time and talents to several organizations, including the Friendship Center of Helena and AARP\u2019s driver\u2019s safety program.<\/p>\n
After experiencing difficulties with his health, Jerry was privileged to call the Waterford Retirement community his new home. Here he was blessed with great care from all of his \u201cgirls\u201d and other staff members at the Waterford. Not only did Jerry receive great care and form many special bonds, he also was able to help shape the lives of those around him in a positive way.<\/p>\n
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Carol Ann Lane, and his loving wife of 47 years \u2013 Freda. Survivors include his children: Bill (Sally) Toner of Billings, Sheila Larsen of Billings, Topsy (James) Johnson of Sioux Falls, Maureen (VJ) Maddio of Helena and Brenda Toner of Missoula. Grandchildren: Ashley and Ryan Toner, Austin and Lauren Larsen, Megan, Jerrod and Cassidy Maddio, Dakota and Cory Johnson. Brother \u2013in-law Robert Lane of Three Forks, Sister-in-law Doris Barnett of Ennis and several very special nieces and nephews.<\/p>\n
A Vigil will be held at 7:00pm on Monday at the Anderson, Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 650 Logan St. in Helena. The funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday September 6th, 2011 at noon from the Cathedral of Saint Helena with Rite of Committal to follow at Resurrection Cemetery. A luncheon reception will follow in the Brondel Center located in the lower level of the Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to St. Peter\u2019s Hospice 2475 Broadway Street Helena, Montana 59601; Friendship Center of Helena, (1430 N. Sanders St., Helena, MT 59601), or the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind (3911 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 59405). Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.aswfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/451443_profile_pic.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","family_email":"","family_first_name":"","family_last_name":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}