…Vietnam Veteran, Chef; 74
TEWKSBURY - Mr. Edward Francis O’Toole, age 74, an accomplished Chef at landmark restaurants in Boston and Gloucester, died peacefully at his Tewksbury home, on Sunday, May 21, in the care of his family and hospice. He was the beloved husband of Maria C. (Lopez) O’Toole, with whom he had celebrated a Golden Fiftieth wedding anniversary this past February 18.
He was born in Lowell in November 1942, one of five children of the late Sylvester J. and Frances Z. (Riley) O’Toole, and was raised in North Billerica. After his marriage to Maria, they moved to Tewksbury to raise their family.
He served in the U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer third-class starting in 1963 during which time he served in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged in 1967.
In his time in the food service industry, he was an Executive Chef at both Boston’s landmark Durgan Park restaurant and at Gull Restaurant in Gloucester, before retiring from the corporate food company Sodexo.
Ed was a life-long Boston Red Sox fan who never missed a radio broadcast of a game and was also an Irish heritage enthusiast who enjoyed spending his time tracing his family roots in Ireland. He also loved spending quality time with his family on camping trips across the country, a tradition that is still cherished by his wife and children.
In addition to his wife and dog Lucky, he leaves behind six children: Maria C. O’Toole of Tewksbury, Edward F. O’Toole of Salem, NH, Joseph M. O’Toole of Fall River, Sean P. O’Toole and his wife Laura (Hiltz) of Dracut, Brian C. O’Toole and his wife Alison (Burns) of Methuen, and Kimberly A. O’Toole and her spouse Dan Wandell of Windham, NH; eleven grandchildren and a great grandson; two sisters, Mary Forsythe and her husband Richard of Tewksbury, and Adeline Murphy of Lowell; many nieces and nephews; and was pre-deceased by his brother Sylvester O’Toole and sister Patricia Nugent.
Visiting hours Thursday, May 25, from 4:00 until 7:00 in the Tewksbury Funeral Home, corner of 1 Dewey and 975 Main Sts. (Rte. 38) TEWKSBURY CENTER, Ph. (800 in MA or 978) 851 2950. His funeral will begin Friday, May 26, at 9:00 from the funeral home, followed by a Funeral Mass on Friday, May 28, at 10:00 in St. William’s Church, 1351 Main St. (Rte. 38) Tewksbury. Burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Lowell will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the CAA Research Center, Mass General Hospital Fund for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114
tewksburyfuneralhome.com