It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Robert Toth (affectionately known as Bob, Bobby, Uncle Bob, Dad and Pops) at the Grace General Hospital after a brief and sudden illness.

 

Bob is predeceased by his wife Lorraine who passed in 2002. He is survived by his sisters Charlotte and Barbara; sons Dean and Derek; daughter-in-law Shelley; grandchildren Connor and Samantha and his loving companion Georgina. Bob loved his family deeply and was immensely proud of his two sons and grandchildren.

 

Bob's impact on this world went well beyond his immediate family. Throughout his adult years he and his wife Lorraine volunteered endless hours to the sports community through coaching, refereeing, volunteering at curling and community clubs as well as being on the Executive of the Royal Knights hockey team for more than a decade. This provided them both with the opportunity to positively impact the lives of so many. In his later years everywhere Bob went he would run into countless people whose lives he had positively impacted. Each one would greet him warmly and comment on the positive things he brought to their lives. The measure of a life well lived is surely best judged by the benefits it brings to those one touches in a positive way.

 

Bob was born in Winnipeg to Martin and Magdalene Toth who had emigrated from Hungary. Bob was a gifted athlete and life-long sports enthusiast. He was a star player in many sports at a young age and by high-school was both a football and track all-star being the fastest 100-yard runner in Manitoba 3-years in a row. After high-school Bob played Junior Football and was “the leading scorer in the league” according to the Winnipeg Free Press. After taking a break from sports to start a family, Bob then gave back to his community through coaching where his teams won multiple provincial as well as national championships. After his coaching career he switched to refereeing football for close to 20 years. These duties included working on the sidelines of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber games as either a “Ball Boy” or “Lonesome Polecat” where he met many of the top players in the league. In 2012 Bob was made an Honorary Life Member of the MFOA (Manitoba Football Officials Association) and in August of 2017, to celebrate his roughly 50 year involvement in Football in Manitoba he was inducted into the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame.

 

Bob met Lorraine when they were both working at Swifts Meats and they were wed in 1959. They were together 43 years until Lorraine’s sudden and untimely passing in 2002. Bob and Lorraine spent their summers at Gull Lake where they both devoted endless hours to the kids of all ages. They had a huge extended family at the lake that will miss him very much.

 

In 2015 Bob moved into the River Ridge Retirement Residence where he was able to re-ignite his competitive spirit through the “Senior Olympics”. He was able to show he still "had it" by capturing 3 medals in his first year and 4 the second year, including one national medal.

 

At this time the family has not decided on memorial plans however as more information becomes available it will be published here, on this page.