NORMAL — James Lee Tobin, 69, formerly of Normal, passed away Saturday (Jan. 28, 2012) in Aventura, Fla.
A celebration of life ceremony will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at Calvary Baptist Church, Normal. A service will follow.
Memorials may be sent to Sunshine Acres Orphanage, Mesa, Ariz.
Born in Chicago on March 30, 1942, a son of Elizabeth McMurray and Bernard Tobin, he married Mary Beth Weakley on July 8, 1961. She survives.
Also surviving are his mother, Elizabeth Kessinger, Normal; his sister, Ellen (Randy) Paul, Bloomington; his children and their families, Kelly (Dawn) Tobin, Normal; Teresa (John) Blakeney, Carlock; and Brian (Tracy) Tobin, Lexington.
Grandchildren include Aesop Adams; Kyle, Kerrigan and Zinnia Tobin; Tyler and Cooper Blakeney; and Eli, Grace, Gabe and Ellana Tobin. Also surviving are many uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by Bernard Tobin and Bill Kessinger.
He attended Trinity High School, Normal High School and graduated from Bloomington High School in 1960. He worked various jobs including construction, factory work for Admiral, and delivering pizzas for Ronny’s Pizza which Jim purchased in 1963, only to create the famous Tobin’s Pizza. He owned and operated Tobin’s Pizza for 34 years.
Besides the great tasting pizza, his loyal customers loved his sense of humor, practical jokes and carpeted walls full of pictures, as well as his relationships with them. He believed that his employees and customers were family and he treated them that way.
He raced motorcycles and stock cars locally and advanced to the ARCA and USAC circuits, racing at many tracks across the country including Daytona, Pocono and Texas World Speedway. He continued to enjoy the sport and the people.
He accepted Jesus Christ into his heart in 1979 and attended Agape Fellowship, enjoyed reading the Bible, and later attended Calvary Baptist Church.
He was passionate about his family. He was a great husband, dad and grandpa. His larger than life personality was magnetic and he had a zest for life which he shared with many people along the way. He was a generous man who appreciated the underdogs in life, often choosing to help when other people wouldn’t. He instilled a strong sense of family and closeness in his lifetime that will live on in those of us he left behind. He left us doing what he enjoyed … spending winters in Florida, playing cards (as long as he was winning) and entertaining friends and family. His heart was bigger than life. His legacy will live on.