SMSYH mourns the loss of Board Member and Coach John Toland
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posted 12/27/2012 John E. Toland, 49, of Sudbury (formerly of Quincy) died suddenly of natural causes December 25, 2012. Beloved husband of Mary M. (MacLean). Loving father of Owen, Brendan, Andrew and Helen.
The Sudbury-Maynard-Stow Youth Hockey community lost a wonderful man this week. Speaking from the heart, words cannot express how much John meant to our hockey community. His hearty laugh, big smile and quick wit meant the world to me, his fellow coaches, and the players he coached. In spite of his small stature, he was a tenacious defensemen during the coach's skates, noted for his extra-long stick to poke check the puck from rushing forwards. Whenever I arrived at the rink, he greeted me with a big “Hello Mr. President,” making me smile from ear to ear. It didn’t matter how tough a day we were having. We let it all go when we got to the rink and saw all those smiling player faces ready to go on the ice. As a Board member he devoted countless hours to helping grow the program. His wit was amazing and could take a tough situation and find a quick comment to lessen the tension and bring perspective to the moment. I tried to keep up with his wit at times and he showed me his friendship by laughing with his belly-of-a-laugh and big smile even though my comment might have missed the mark. I will always admire that quality about him.
With 4 children in the program over the years, he spent a lot of time at the rink. This year, he was the head coach of SMS Peewee 1 team and assistant coach to the Squirt 1 and Bantam 1 teams. His children are adorable and so much fun to be around. Each child has a part of John in their smile, laugh, athleticism and attitude.
His wife Mary is a devoted wife and mother. You can always hear her voice from the stands cheering on her children. She and the children are going to need all of our thoughts and prayers to help her through this tough time. To help them now and in years to come, memorial donations may be directed to the "Toland Children Education Fund", c/o Michael Toland, 11 Riverview Rd., Canton, MA 02021.
We will miss you Coach Toland, but you will always be with us each time we open the rink door.
To view the complete obituary, visit http://www.legacy.com/link.asp?i=ls000161973100
Jeff LaPlante
SMSYH President
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