Leware Toole

Leware Toole, a devoted educator, cherished mother, and faithful servant, passed away peacefully on September 25, 2025, in Grapevine, Texas. 

She was born on August 10, 1939, in Collierville, Tennessee. Leware dedicated 42 years of her life to the field of education before retiring from Boyd ISD, leaving a lasting impact on countless students. An alumna of Memphis State University and Texas Woman’s University, she earned an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education anda master’s degree as an Educational Diagnostician. Beyond her professional life, Leware was gifted with a talent for sewing, quilting, and crocheting. She faithfully used her talents to bless others, creating countless prayer blankets and baby bonnets that were donated to local hospitals through her crochet group at First Baptist Church. Leware never met a stranger, and her laugh could light up any room. She was resourceful, determined, and strong-willed—there was nothing she could not do once she set her mind to it.

Leware is survived by her three daughters: Michaelle Leath of Mobile, Alabama; Sharon Baugus and her husband, Mitch, of Colleyville; and Jami Petty and her husband, Ray, of Decatur. She was a beloved grandmother to five grandchildren: Julie Castor and her husband, Joel; Blake Baugus and his wife, Caroline; Maebry Petty; Hudson Petty; and Hayden Petty. 

She also leaves behind three great-grandchildren: Maddy Castor, Sebastian Castor, and Brooks Baugus. Additionally, Leware is survived by her brother, Bobby Shipp, and his wife, Rose, along with extended family and a host of dear friends who will forever treasure her memory.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Lucy Mae Shipp; her husband, James Irwin Toole; her son, Michael Leath; and her sister, Joyce Scott.

Visitation will be held Friday, October 3, 2025, from 10:00–11:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 1200 Preskitt Road, Decatur, Texas.

Leware Toole’s legacy of faith, family, and service lives on in the many lives she touched, and she will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Memorials may be made in her honor to Summit Youth at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Texas.