Obituary: John Tormey - Class of 1930

MADISON/AKRON,OHIO - John L. Tormey, age 92, of Akron, Ohio, died on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005, at his home. John was born on April 10, 1913, in Madison. He was a graduate of Madison Central High School and attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He served as a Second Lieutenant in the 5th Army, Signal Corps, during World War II in North Africa and Italy. He married Nellie in 1946, and they moved to Akron in 1950. John joined Roadway Express that year and 28 years later he retired as Chairman and CEO. During those years, John found time to guide a major corporation, help his wife, Nell raise three sons, build and maintain a reputation of the highest ethical fiber and also make major contributions to the greater Akron and Cleveland community. In Akron, he served as Chairman of the Akron Metropolitan Park Board; Trustee of the Akron City Hospital, Akron Community Foundation, Akron Community Hall (Civic Theater), Akron YMCA, Akron Zoo, Stan Hywet Hall, The Summit County Historical Society, the GAR Foundation and Bluecoats Inc. In Cleveland, John served as Trustee of the National Council on Educational Research, National History Day, Western Reserve Historical Society, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. John also served as a Trustee of Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan. John is survived by his wife, of 59 years, Nellie; sons, Thomas A. (Anne) Tormey of Chargrin Falls, Ohio, and James N. Tormey of Akron, Ohio; and a sister, Catherine T. Sommer of Middleton. John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret; son, John Edward Tormey; sisters, Margaret Jackson, Elizabeth Howley, Mary Connor and Jean Tormey; brothers-in-law, Harold Howley, Robert Connor and David Sommer. A Mass of Christian Burial, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005, at 11 a.m. at ST. SEBASTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 476 Mull Ave., Akron, Ohio. Procession will form at the church. Interment in the Holy Cross Cemetery, 100 E. Waterloo Road, Akron, Ohio. Friends may call at the HUMMEL FUNERAL HOME, 500 East Exchange Street, Akron, Ohio, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2005, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to St. Sebastian Parish Foundation, 476 Mull Ave, Akron, Ohio 44320. Hummel Funeral Homes (330) 253-6126

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on December 18, 2005

Note: John Tormey's graduation date is based on information in the 1930 Madison Central High School yearbook, which also shows he was Secretary-Treasurer of his graduating class.