William Harold Toothman Jr.

Bill Toothman, beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and longtime West Virginia University Peach State Chapter President, passed away on Tuesday, January 14.

Bill was born in Saint Albans, West Virginia on August 11, 1947, to Harold and Jennie Toothman. He graduated from WVU in 1969 and forged enduring, lifelong friendships as a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He married Ginger Geene Toothman, the mother of his children, Jeff and Alison, on the eve of embarking upon his career as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving as an ordinance officer during the Cold War in Germany. They later divorced. Bill married Brenda Cullop Eblin in 1990, and they lived happily until her passing in 2018. Bill and Brenda loved to dote on their granddaughters Taylor and Gracie.

Bill had a long and successful career in sales and sales management with Gillette and then with Helene Curtis (Procter & Gamble). He guided careers and shaped the lives of the people who worked for him. Bill was more than a manager; he was a mentor and lifelong friend to many.

Bill was a lifelong fan of all Atlanta sports, having season tickets to the Hawks, Falcons, and, of course, the Braves. Bill was a Braves season ticket holder from the time he moved to Atlanta until the present. He has been a friend and bright light to ushers, gate attendants, security staff, ticket sales teams, vendors, A Listers, 755 club members, and fellow fans from Fulton County Stadium to Turner Field to Truist Park. Bill’s greatest passion and joy came from baseball and the Braves. The 1995 and 2021 seasons were great highlights in the life of one of the Braves’ biggest fans. Bill loved to share that passion with everyone he met.

Bill guided the WVU Alumni Peach State Chapter for 25 years, kickstarting its annual Golf Outing and other events that fully fund the endowed Peach State Chapter’s newly renamed Bill Toothman Memorial Academic Scholarship and Bill Toothman Memorial Athletic Scholarship. Each is awarded annually to a worthy Georgia rising high school student attending WVU. Thanks to Bill, the Peach State Chapter has won awards in support of the WVU Alumni Association, academics, and athletic programs including football, men’s basketball, golf and marching band.

Most enduringly, Bill sowed and cultivated a caring and welcoming home for alumni and West Virginians in the Atlanta area. Bill was a cheerful face and voice greeting all WVU fans at the chapter’s home base, Laseter’s Tavern. He knew everyone personally and was happy to see them every time they showed up, and all were happy to see him at chapter events. He spread the Mountaineer Spirit, and everyone loved him in return. Because of Bill, there is a deeply connected extended family of Peach State Mountaineers. His legacy will carry on.

Bill is survived by his children, Jeff Toothman of Tampa, FL and Alison Toothman Garland of Kennesaw, GA; and his grandchildren, Taylor Garland and Gracie Toothman; by his Sister Terri Toothman Barr, her husband Greg Barr and Bill’s nephew Chris Barr in St. Albans, WV, and step-daughters Mende Eblin and Emily Eblin of Charleston, WV. Bill was part of a large and loving extended family in West Virginia, North Carolina, and California. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Funeral services for Bill Toothman will be on Tuesday January 21, 2025 at Poole Funeral Home, 1970 Eagle Dr, Woodstock, GA 30189. Visitation starts at 11:00 a.m., with the service at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Peach State Chapter’s Bill Toothman Memorial Academic Scholarship (formerly the Peach State Chapter of WVU Alumni Association Scholarship) or the Bill Toothman Memorial Athletic Scholarship (formerly WVU Alumni Assoc. - Peach State Chapter Endowed Athletic Sch) administered by the West Virginia University Foundation at https://www.wvuf.org. Please feel free to wear Braves or WVU apparel, Bill would love that!!