1949 – 2004

CASCO – Sheila T. Toole, 54, of Casco passed away peacefully Friday, Jan. 30, at her home after a long illness with her loving family by her side.

She was born in Trenton, N.J. on Oct. 5, 1949, and was the daughter of the late William G. Thomas Jr. and Mary Dwyer Thomas. She grew up in Morrisville, Pa., and graduated from Bishop Conwell High School in Levittown, Pa. in 1967. After attending Rider College in Lawrenceville, N.J., she was employed by New Jersey Bell Telephone Company in Trenton, N.J. in the marketing department, and then later as a communications consultant.

On July 14,1973, she married Allen R. Toole and moved to Maine six months later where they purchased and ran the Casco A.G. Food Store for 11 years. After selling the store in 1985, she studied one of her true passions, interior decorating, and was employed by Bolsters Decorating in Bridgton, as well as Young’s Furniture in South Portland.

In 1992, she became co-owner, with her husband, of Toole Realty Group, later ERA Toole Realty in Naples and Windham. She was a member and former vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Naples Business Association, and was a member of the Maine Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.

She was well known for her honesty, integrity, and compassion toward others, both professionally and personally. She was a long-standing member of the Vendredi Club of Casco and had held the positions of president and vice-president. She was also an avid volunteer and chairperson for the Southern Oxford County division of the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days, and also for the Reach to Recovery Program. Sheila, after her own first battle with cancer, was a positive role model to those in need and she was truly fulfilled when she was given the opportunity to help her community and her peers.

She was gifted in many artistic areas, such as gardening, stained glass, needlework, making curtains and quilts by hand, exquisite cooking, and making elegant original works of art for home décor, for which she became affectionately known within her family as “Martha.” Her colleagues described Sheila as a lady in the true sense of the word, and noted that she was always able to find the good in every person and every situation. She stood out amongst her peers, friends, and family as an example to follow through her kindness, generosity and modesty, and was a joy and a blessing in their lives.

She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Allen Toole of Casco; three daughters, Kerrie Toole, Meghan Stonerock and her husband Joel, and Courtney Toole, all of Windham; five brothers, Christopher Thomas and his wife Pamela of North Kingstown, R.I., Sean Thomas and his wife Sheila of Richmond, Va., Jeffrey Thomas and his wife Vicki of Irvine, Calif., Brian Thomas and his wife Tricia of Philadelphia, Pa., and Mark Thomas and his wife Deborah of Jacksonville, Ore.; and also seven nieces and nephews.