Obituary: Irwin Tober

Irwin Tober
Irwin Tober, 92, of Longboat Key, died Dec. 10.

Born Dec. 19, 1920, in St. Louis, he attended Soldan High School and the University of Missouri, where he was president of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Mr. Tober served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater during World War II, first in the artillery and later as an infantry unit commander. As captain of his unit, he received three bronze stars for helping to liberate the Southern and Northern Philippines from Japanese occupation.

Upon returning to the United States, Irwin eventually became president of his family’s business, Tober-Saifer Shoe Manufacturing. This allowed him and his family the opportunity to move in 1971 to Florence, Italy, to run the import business.

A Mason and a Shriner, Mr. Tober was active in many charitable endeavors, including veterans’ causes and education. Among his other loves were tennis, horseback riding and golf. In his later years, one of his most cherished accomplishments was a rafting trip down the Colorado River at the age of 72.

His retirement was spent with his wife, Cynthia, on Longboat Key, where they were members of Temple Beth Israel.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Cynthia; sister, Winifred; son, James, of Manhattan, N.Y.; two daughters, Laurie, of Orlando, and Angela, of Sarasota; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions be may made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, N.Y., 10163-4777.