Marlene O’Toole
February 18, 1945 – January 30, 2024
Helen Marlene O’Toole was born in Somerville, Massachusetts February 18, 1945 and passed away peacefully on January 30, 2024 after a brief illness.
The daughter of Glen Getty and Helen Murphy and a resident of the Villages since 1992, Marlene will be missed by her husband of 52 years, Edward O’Toole, her children and their spouses; Kathleen & Thomas Brown of Tyngsboro, MA, Colleen O’Toole of Quincy, MA, Linda & Andrew Teebagy of Burlington, MA, Edward Jr & Sherry O’Toole of Jacksonville, FL, and Jenny Deluca of Waltham, MA, her 11 grandchildren and her 8 great grandchildren, as well as her large extended family. She also leaves her larger adopted family of the Florida community to whom she committed her executive talents and energy. In addition there was never a stray cat that she met that she didn’t adopt or find a home for; she was an animal lover thru and thru.
Marlene was a true American success story, unconcerned with all the good she accomplished and more focused on the good left to do.
She was hired by IBM in 1967 as a keypunch operator on the 2nd shift. In 1997, she finished her successful 30-year career as a Regional Manager, responsible for hundreds of employees. After retiring from IBM, Marlene worked for, and volunteered as a mentor with Take Stock in Children. Marlene’s drive and compassion resulted in positive enhancements, directly impacting the many children the organization serves.
H. Marlene O’Toole was first elected to the Florida House in 2008, where she served four consecutive terms representing Lake, Sumter, and Marion counties in Tallahassee. She was a leader on issues affecting education and chaired the House Education Committee for four years. She earned a reputation with her fellow legislators for being a quick study and a loyal friend with a sharp wit who sincerely cared about her constituents.
As a member of the Florida legislature and as chair of the House Education Committee, she fought to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition assistance to the poorest students of Florida.
In August 2017, she joined Beacon College in Leesburg, FL, as a full-time staff member. She began her Beacon career as Interim Director in the Center for Student Success. Under her leadership, as Director of the Career Development Center, she provided meaningful internship and post-graduation employment opportunities for students. Marlene had a deep commitment to Beacon College and steadfast devotion to its students with learning differences.
Marlene understood what education and workplace opportunities could do for young people and how they could serve as a path for fulfilling their dreams. She knew this was particularly important for students with learning and attention issues, and she worked tirelessly on their behalf.
Marlene was well respected on the campus of Beacon College, and her energy, wisdom, sense of humor, friendship, and laughter will be missed.
Marlene served as an Advisory Board Member of the UF Health The Villages® Hospital from 2016 until her passing.
Services will be held at the Morrison United Methodist Church in Leesburg on Sunday, February 11, at 3 pm. The services will be live-streamed on the internet; information on live-streaming will be made available at BeyersFuneralHome.com.
