James B. Toney's Obituary
James Burke Toney of Richardson, Texas passed away peacefully on Friday, October 23, 2015. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Connie Weese Toney, children Tonya Toney Grizzard, Todd Toney, Tamra Toney Pfeifer, grandchildren Desiree, Deidre, Sydney, Darby, Demi, Caden, Camdyn, and great grand-daughter Kailani. Mr. Toney was 81 years old. He was born in Harrison, Arkansas to Garland McKinney Toney and Mldred Emma Cralle Toney. After moving to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, he graduated from Okmulgee High School in 1951. He enlisted in the Army and was stationed at Ft. Sill, where he was a Staff Sergeant and Artillery Instructor. He went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Borger, Texas where he met Connie Weese.. They married in 1955 and in 1962 moved to Richardson, Texas, where he was an electronic technician with Collins Radio. In 1964, he began working for The Southwest Center for Graduate Research, which later became the University of Texas at Dallas. He was involved with projects in oceanography and geology, working on sea floor mapping and later analysis of materials brought back from the moon by the Apollo missions. After completing his Masters Degree in Geosciences in 1981, he went to work for ARCO Oil and Gas in research and development. He finished his career and retired from the Geosciences Department at University of Texas at Arlington. In 1964, Mr. Toney began a lifetime of involvement in the martial arts by signing up for Tae Kwon Do classes at the Texas Instruments Karate Club at the TEXINS Gym. Under the instruction of Allen Steen, he earned his Black Belt in 1968 and taught for Master Steen for many years at the Texas Karate Institute. He went on to become an original board member of the old Southwest Karate Black Belt Association (the precursor to the AKBBA). He continued to attain higher ranks, eventually becoming a Grandmaster in Tae Kwon Do. Mr. Toney was forever willing to learn from anyone, at any time. He achieved black belt rankings in Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan, Tae Kwon Do Chung Do Kwan, Okinawan Dai Ni Gojuryu, and Jujitsu. He was named Shihan for North America by the Kokusai Dai Ni Gojuryu Karate Kyokai. Additionally, he was inducted into the Texas Martial Arts Hall of Fame and the Karate Masters Hall of Fame. Mr. Toney was one of the most respected and admired teachers in Texas karate. Many champion fighters of the “blood and guts” era called him their sensei. Many of his students went on to become instructors or school owners, carrying with them Grandmaster Toney’s lessons and insights passing them down to new generations. The family would like to thank the AKBBA for their contribution and research in this remembrance of our father. Family will receive friends on Monday, October 26, 2015 from 6:00PM – 8:00PM at Restland Funeral Home. Service will be held Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 11:00AM at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association. http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1126651&lis=1&kntae1126651=5B240C27EB9B4BD6B147F1BBF668DE58&supId=229465707&emaillogid=8552461258
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