Obituary of Francis King O'Toole

Francis King O’Toole was born into eternal life while surrounded by family on June 2. He was quite proud of reaching the age of 93 and shared that fact with people often. Born November 4, 1930 to Anthony Bernard and Mary (Keating) O’Toole, he was the older brother of Laverne, Nancy and Maureen who all preceded him in death. He and the love of his life, Barbara Ann (Desch), were married for 64 years before she passed away in 2019. They raised five children in their faith and taught them to love the Lord and all the glory He bestows upon us. These children James, Kevin (Michele), Suzanne (Joseph) Aiello, Sharon (Antonio) Ciummo and Amy (Michael) Shaughnessy work to bestow these same values in their children. King could not have been more proud of his grandchildren: Justin (Erica), Sean (Danielle), Benjamin (Molly), Brandon, Emma, Marco, Maeve, Ava, Sarah (Anthony) and Amanda and could often be heard boasting to others about their accomplishments. He also felt incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to know and love six great-grandchildren: Abram, Kayden, Rosalie, Kyle, Lorenzo and Dalio. A prayerful and faithful man, he dedicated his life and work to Catholic institutions and never answered no when he was called to serve. King’s faith was so strong that even while grieving his greatest loss for the past five years, he thanked the Lord every single day for bringing Barbara Ann into his life. He truly recognized everything as a gift from God and he changed the lives of many as he helped them find their way back to the Lord through his strong beliefs and his examples of thankful prayer. King proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War in ammunition distribution. He often shared stories about his time there and recalled how challenging the journey by water was to arrive in Korea. If you knew him, then you certainly had the opportunity to be reminded by him that “I was a Marine, you know”. No one doubted this as he certainly had lived out their Core Values of honor, courage, and commitment in all aspects of his life. Throughout his life, King enjoyed golfing with his friends and family and always fondly recalled annual golf trips to Sharon, PA with his father, father in law and uncle. For many years, Wednesday was golf day with great friends followed by fish sandwiches at Dorido’s. A love of jazz took King and Barbara to shows all over the city. Their positive outlook on life apparently led them to never seeing a bad performance as when asked how any show was, the response was always “Best show we ever saw!” King also enjoyed gardening and woodworking. Many of his grandchildren and great grandchildren have slept in a beautiful cradle or rode a rocking horse crafted by his hands. However, one of his favorite things to make was a wooden crucifix. King proudly created several and presented them as gifts to family members and many friends. If you were lucky enough to know King you never heard a complaint from him. Even when you knew he was not feeling well or he was in pain, when asked how he felt, his response was always “I feel great, thank God and St. Barbara!” This positivity endeared people to him and he never made an enemy. During our time of loss we want to thank the friends and family who remembered our daddy with calls, visits, and countless cards and notes. Your loyalty and kindness brought true joy to his heart and ours. We also want to thank our amazing private caregivers and those from Home Sweet Home and Comfort Keepers. You helped us take care of our daddy, thus fulfilling his wish of staying at home. The gentle and dignified way you treated our father meant the world to us. He loved each and every one of you. It was an honor for the five of us to care for him this last year and we know you felt the same. Thank you also to Advanced Hospice for their support this last year. And last but certainly not least, thank you to Dr. Raye Budway who dad referred to as “his angel here on earth”. Your support meant everything to us. To know King was to love him. To honor him and keep his memory alive we ask that you try to live like him; Prayerfully and faithfully, through Christ and in Christ. Friends and family will be received on Thursday, 4-8 pm, at Warchol Funeral Home, Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, 10 am, at Holy Child Church of Corpus Christi Parish, Bridgeville. Interment to follow At Queen of Heaven Cemetery, with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted for the Elizabeth Seton Center at Seton Center.