Kerry Wade Toner

Kerry “Wade” Toner left this mortal life on August 2, 2016 due to kidney disease and heart failure.     He will be missed by his beloved family and dear friends but left us with the satisfaction of a good life and a proud legacy. Wade was born in Manti, Utah on June 21, 1938 to parents Theda Peterson and Morris Larsen.  They divorced and Theda remarried in 1945 to Earl Joseph Toner who became and was always remembered as dad. Growing up in Salt Lake City, Kearns and Taylorsville, Wade attended Granite High School.  In August 1955 he joined the U.S. Navy and on November 14, 1955, home on navy boot leave, he married his life-long partner Darlene Smedley in Burley, Idaho.  In September 1956 daughter Carrie Lynn was born after Wade returned from the first of three six-month overseas cruises aboard the destroyer Halsey Powell DD-686. Honorably discharged from the navy in 1959 they returned to Dar’s home town Burley, Idaho where Wade was employed by M. H. Kings as an Assistant Manager assigned to their store in Rupert, Idaho and then Brigham City, Utah.  He left Kings in 1960 for employment at Thiokol Chemical Corp primarily working in Quality Control on the Minuteman missile systems until leaving in 1968 for a Quality Manager position with Hardy Scales Co. in Ogden, Utah.  In January 1960 son Steven Wade was born in Brigham City, Utah and in April 1964 son Brian Scott was born, also in Brigham City.  In 1972 Wade left Hardy Scales to accept a Purchasing manager position with Kenway Engineering, which subsequently became Eaton-Kenway, in Bountiful, Utah and he worked in a variety of management positions until retiring in 1995. Wade was preceded in death by his grandparents, paternal father, mother, adopted dad, granddaughter Teri Lynn Mark and dear wife.  Wade is survived by his three wonderful children, daughter Carrie Toner  (Glen) Unck of Henderson, Nevada, son Steven (Jeanne) Toner of Draper, Utah, son Scott (Debbie) Toner of Woods Cross, Utah, twenty-four grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren and counting, brother Owen Toner of Sandy, Utah, sister Karen (Richard) Adams of Toquerville, Utah, sister Susan (David) Weise of Falls Church, Virginia, and four half-sisters by Morris Larsen that he regretfully did not know. Always the planner, several months ago, Wade sat down and put his personal thoughts to paper.

In Wade’s own words…

As I write this document I anticipate that I will enjoy many more years before completing the last chapter of my mortal life but I wanted to express in my own words my gratitude and appreciation to God, my family, friends and the many people that have been important in my life.  On a grand scale I have been truly blessed and I have few regrets.  To the extent that I could do it all over again I would try to disregard some of the self-imposed stress and I would extend myself  to more people but  in essence I wouldn’t change the direction of my life nor the end result. My greatest source of pride is my family and I feel that I have been a responsible and honorable person receiving respect from those who know me.  I enjoyed a successful career.  I also enjoyed the many opportunities where I served as a mentor to others whether it was managing Pony League baseball teams, coordinating Junior Achievement companies, directing United Way fund raising campaigns, serving on the board of directors for the Purchasing Management Association of Utah, elected to Salt Lake Chapter President and Region Vice-president of the American Production and Inventory Control Society or serving on the manufacturing advisory board at Salt Lake Community College.  I served four years as a senior examiner for Eaton Corporations Quality Award program.  These and other involvements gave me an opportunity to interact with a lot of fine people whom I admired and remember fondly. I am a High Priest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that Christ is our redeemer and restored the full gospel to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I look forward to seeing my wife and family on the other side. Wade will be greatly missed by his family and devoted friends and all who knew him.  On behalf of the family, we express our heartfelt thanks and love to all those who gave care and comfort to Wade over the last few years. Following cremation, a graveside service will be held Friday, August 12, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hurricane City Cemetery under the direction of Hughes Mortuary, (435-674-5000).  A celebration of life will be held at a later time and place, still to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Wade’s name to the Foundation at Dixie Regional Medical Center for heart and lung programs.