Glendon Dawkins Toler Jr.

Glendon Dawkins Toler, Jr., Bubba, was a giant in stature and spirit. He was born on September 10, 1944, in Cleveland, Texas to parents, Glendon D. Toler, Sr. and June Stancil Toler. In 1946, Glen, June, and their children, Sandra and Bubba, moved to Dayton to operate Pace-Stancil Funeral Home there. Little League and Boy Scouts filled his life, but in 1956, twelve-year-old Bubba was diagnosed with acute nephritis. He always gave God and Dr. E.R. Richter the glory for his recovery. By his Sophomore year, with Dr. Richter's care, the disease was finally under control and Bubba was able to return to his beloved Bronchos. He excelled in all sports throughout high school, lettering in football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and track, and more importantly, meeting the love of his life, Barbara Carole Cox.

Bubba and Barbara married in 1964, and continued their education at Lamar University in Beaumont. Bubba played basketball for the Lamar Cardinals and in 1966, earned his BBA in Business and Economics. He began his professional career, doing what he loved-coaching football and basketball-AND, teaching General Business and Typing I, even taking students all the way to UIL Regional. In 1970, Bubba was offered the position of Head Basketball Coach at Cleveland High School, which would have made him the youngest head coach of a 3A school in Texas, but his love of home and family led him to make the difficult decision to leave coaching and join his Dad in the family business. Bubba's dad was "old school" and wanted him to learn the business from the ground up, which included making the late-night ambulance and death calls that had been the family custom for three generations. He learned a lot about people, death and sorrow in those years as well as the importance of helping others at the most difficult time in their lives.

Through the years, Bubba's range of talents continued to widen and he realized many of his dreams including becoming a farmer! In 1991, he purchased a 735-acre farm in Devers and successfully farmed rice and soybeans in his "free" time. He loved every minute of it. He also loved Colorado and when his health began to decline in 2011, he once again chose to give up something he loved for family. He sold his farm and realized another long-time dream, a house in Estes Park. It's a place his children and grandchildren love and treasure and where he enjoyed watching the wildlife and fishing in his backyard on the Big Thompson River.

Those lessons, his strong Christian faith and generous spirit, made Bubba a friend and role-model for all. His gentle nature was a comfort to everyone he met and, though he appeared to be a man of few words, he always seemed to know just what to say and when to say it. Family, friends, waiters, sales-clerks, employees, and even strangers sensed his genuine interest in learning about their lives and inevitably found themselves willing to share. Bubba truly lived his faith, demonstrating Christian principles in all of his business and personal dealings. God blessed his work and Bubba freely and generously shared God's blessings. If you had Bubba in your corner, you felt like Superman. He encouraged and believed in people and was always ready to help you chart your course if you'd let him. Bubba was quick to see a need and even without being asked, would quietly step up to meet it, supporting his community, local churches, schools, clubs, law-enforcement with both time and treasure.

Along with his many interests, Bubba was also a talented artist. He took great pleasure in sharing his talents for carving duck-calls and pens, crafting fishing rods, guns and hunting knives, custom leather-work, "slumping" glass, and designing silver and beaded jewelry. He loved making jewelry for Barbara and his girls and his creations for them are their treasures. Through his donations to local fundraisers, many are priviledged to own and enjoy the fruits of his talents.

But above all, Bubba loved his family. Bubba and Barbara, married for over 52 years, were inseparable. Just last week, Bubba gave Barbara a plaque which read "And I'd choose you, in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd chose you." It is and was a great love. Together, Bubba and Barbara had three children, Kristen Amber Toler Brosey, Kimber Leigh Toler Hinch, and Daniel Rabun Toler. Bubba relished spending time with his children, their spouses and his grandchildren and, to the occasional frustration of others, never let an obligation interfere with an opportunity to spend one more moment with those he loved. He made EVERYTHING special and his love and the time he spent with them will never be forgotten.

Bubba and Barbara honorably served the family business for almost five decades as owners of Pace-Stancil Funeral Homes in Cleveland and Coldspring, Alma's PS Florist, and Toler Monument Company. In the late 1980's, they proudly developed Pace-Stancil Memorial Rest Gardens, a perpetual-care cemetery. In July of 1996, Bubba fulfilled his dream of returning Pace-Stancil Funeral Home to Dayton, where he enjoyed the association of old friends and families and made many new friends.

The Tolers and Pace-Stancil are proud to have served Liberty County families for over 78 years. To quote the title of the Pace-Stancil Funeral Home historical book Bubba has been writing:

"Proud of the Past; Committed to the Future."