Bernard J. Toth

1941 - 2011

(News article) A Sylvania Township man who was mechanical engineer and was instrumental in computerizing the equipment of his family's precision machining company, died Sunday in Toledo Hospital. Bernard J. Toth, Jr., was 69.

His daughter, Laura Toth of Vero Beach, Fla., said he died less than a week after he had been admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with leukemia.

Mr. Toth retired about six months ago as president of Toth Industries Inc. on Enterprise Boulevard in North Toledo. The firm, which was started in 1955 by his late father, Bernard Toth, makes parts for large trucks and off the road equipment. He joined the company in the late 1960s after working at what was then Dana Corp.'s engineering division on Bennett Road.

Rick Toth said that because of his older brother, Toth Industries was among the first machine shops in town to introduce electronic controls for machine tools in the manufacturing process.

"He was very well respected around town and in the industry. He really helped the company grow and bring it into the high-tech era with computer-controlled-equipment," said Rick Toth, who also works at the company.

Under Mr. Toth's leadership, the company's customer based expanded to the East Coast and Mexico.

"He was always the engineer and the day to day troubleshooter, repairing equipment and analyzing issues and problems," Rick Toth said.

Mr. Toth grew up in West Toledo, where he attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School. While attending Central Catholic High School, he worked at the company alongside his father as did both his younger brothers.

As a boy, Mr. Toth was mechanically inclined and took things apart and rebuilt them to satisfy his curiosity about how they worked. One of his projects was his mother's sewing machine.

"He just loved the detail work and putting things together," daughter Laura Toth said. "He built a lot of things when we were growing up."

After graduating in 1959 from Central Catholic, he went to the University of Detroit and obtained his mechanical engineering degree.

He married the former Bernadette Szymanski on Sept. 19, 1964. Ms. Toth said that he and her mother were introduced to each other by a co-worker at Dana and his wife. Her mother died on Oct. 21, 2006.

Ms. Toth said that on trips to visit her in Florida as well as his other daughter in Colorado, he helped with projects around the house. "He had a daddy-do list," she said.

Mr. Toth also enjoyed playing tennis and golf. He and friends would plan and carry out out-of-state trips to play golf.

Surviving are his daughters, Laura Toth and Kathleen Siers, brothers, Thomas and Richard, and two granddaughters.

The body will be in the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 West Sylvania Ave., from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in St. Joseph Church, Sylvania. The family suggests tributes to the Leukemia Society or a charity of the donor's choice.