Robert William Toivonen

Robert “Bob” William Toivonen, 77, of Butte passed away peacefully Friday morning. Bob was born in Butte, Montana on August 12, 1943 to Toivo William Toivonen and Gertrude Susan Toivonen, the oldest of three boys. Bob lived a full and wonderful life. He loved his family more than anything, and recently celebrated his 50th anniversary with the love of his life, Virginia (Ginger) “McNellis” Toivonen who he married on August 15th, 1970. Softball brought them together many years ago, and they passed their love of sports down to their kids and grandkids. Bob was an amazing husband, dad to Chris and Beth, grandpa (“Papa”) to Conor, Katie, Carson and Cole, son, brother to John and Clarke, and friend. His family absolutely adored him, and will forever remember the lessons and love he had for each one of us. His spirit truly lives on in all the people he touched. He grew up in Butte, with his first home near the Columbia Gardens where he had many fond memories. Bob’s childhood friends extended into adulthood, and he valued them a great deal. He attended Harrison Grade School, East Junior High, Butte High School and graduated from Montana Tech where he served as student body president and earned a bachelors and masters degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He began his professional career as an Engineer, but later decided to become a teacher and used this profession to positively impact countless lives. It was amazing the number of former students who expressed gratitude for the profound impact he had on them. In all, his teaching career spanned over 40 years, and included stops at Deer Lodge, West Junior High, Butte High School and Montana Tech. He spent a majority of his career teaching Math at Butte High School, driving his trademark 1971 Chevy truck for most of those days. Even after retirement, Bob never stopped teaching, always imparting knowledge to those lucky enough to be around him. Considering Bob was such an amazing teacher, it isn’t surprising that he exceled as a coach as well. Bob always viewed coaching as teaching, just with the setting transferred to a field or court. He coached many teams, including the Butte Merchant’s Softball team where he met his wife Ginger, the Butte High Softball team who was recently inducted into the Butte Hall of Fame for their 1992 state championship, and of course all of his children’s’ elementary teams. As head coach for the Bulldogs, Bob’s teams won the Western AA title every season. He had an amazing knack for teaching hitting, and his batters were routinely at the top of AA. As an assistant coach in 1995, he and his daughter Beth celebrated a special state championship title. Bob passed his coaching acumen on to his kids, and along with his wife Ginger, would routinely travel almost 400 miles to watch their son Chris coach. Together, they rarely missed a game. Bob was also a lifelong Dodgers fan, as are his kids and grandkids. It was particularly special for him when the Dodgers broke their 32 year World Series drought. Bob was an avid outdoorsman, and passed that love onto his kids and grandkids. He especially enjoyed fishing, and was a master of the underhand cast. In later years, Bob especially enjoyed collecting wood and sitting by a warm fire. A great storyteller, those around him always loved listening to him reminisce about his outdoor adventures. Those stories will continue to be passed down to future generations. Whether it was watching a game, drama production, or just hearing about the kid’s grades, he truly thought they walked on water. Even when he couldn’t attend events, Papa Bob, as he was affectionately known, enjoyed watching the latest homerun, three-pointer, block or sack via video. Listening to phone conversations he had with the grandkids was always a special treat. He was never too busy for a long phone call or visit with his grandchildren, always letting them know just how special they were to him. Bob’s parents along with his Finnish ancestry taught him to be an honest, ethical and loving person. During a recent story telling session, Bob talked about “Sisu” which is a Finnish term that means strength of will, determination, perseverance. Sisu is not momentary, but the ability to sustain courage over time. Bob demonstrated this throughout his life, receiving a kidney transplant in 1986 and overcoming numerous health conditions over the years. No doubt about it, Bob had “Sisu”. More than anything though, Bob was a great person. He was an amazing role model, and helped so many others strive to better themselves. The world needs more people like Bob Toivonen. Bob was preceded in death by his parents Toivo and Gertrude Toivonen, brother Clarke Toivonen, brother-in-laws, Mike McNellis, John McNellis, Bob McNellis, Roland Reagan and sister-in laws Maria McNellis and Carol McNellis. He is survived by his wife Ginger, son Chris (Jamie) Toivonen, daughter Beth (Jason) Klaumann, grandkids Conor & Carson Toivonen and Katie and Cole Klaumann , brother John (Becky) Toivonen, sister-in-laws Rosemary Regan, Marjorie McNellis, Barbara (Joe) Comfort, Sherrie Fillbach,, Leigh McNellis, brother-in-law Jim (Dana) McNellis and numerous nieces and nephews. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, private services will be conducted and a public memorial services will be conducted when restriction are lifted. Donations can be made to the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) foundation or Butte Senior Solutions.

Tributes

Robert William Toivonen

August 12, 1943 - November 6, 2020