Joseph Toutonghi

Joseph Toutonghi

Born April 2, 1932 in Heliopolis, Egypt; died December 17, 2017 at his home in Seattle.

Survived by wife Ruta; children, Gabrielle (John Greene), Michael (Alyona), Stephen (Monique Shaw), Annette (Bruce Oberg), and Pauls (Peyton Marshall); grandchildren, Mason Greene, Michael, Daniel, Anna, Phineas, Beatrix, and Angelina; siblings, Agnes Van Beveren, John Toutonghi, and Mary "Mimi" Hurt; and a large extended family.

When Joe was fourteen, his mother and father moved with six of their children from Cairo, Egypt to Bakersfield, California, following their eldest daughter Agnes, who had married an American. Inquisitive and energetic, Joe and his siblings thrived in their new home and Joe learned English from comic books and movies. Offered a generous opportunity to study at Seattle University, he moved to Seattle to complete an undergraduate degree and then pursued Master's classes at the University of Washington.

Joe was a loving father and husband who seasoned his early years with a wide variety of short-term jobs before spending several years excelling as a salesman at one of California's largest car dealerships. He often said that Seattle was the most beautiful place on Earth, and when he returned to the city as a high school and junior high teacher, he discovered a passion for helping students succeed that energized the rest of his working life.

Joe's Catholic faith guided and sustained him in the face of life's many challenges. First and foremost, Joe treasured his family. He had four children with Mary, his first wife, and one with his second wife, Ruta, with whom he shared forty-nine loving years. Everyone in his orbit benefited from his boundless generosity and his passionate example of familial devotion.

Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, December 27th at 11 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church
732 18th Ave E, Seattle 98112
Interment, Holyrood Cemetery

Because the church is decorated for Christmas, in lieu of flowers, we invite you to donate to the education and training of young Jesuits via: Jesuit Formation Fund, ? PO Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031-0519. Or, online at https://www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation-form. Under Comments, designate the gift for Jesuit Formation, in memory of
Joseph Toutonghi.

Hoffner Fisher & Harvey

Guestbook at harveyfuneral.com