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IAN ROBERT TOAL Obituary pic

IAN ROBERT TOAL

Born: Apr 23, 1958

Date of Passing: Jul 17, 2022

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IAN ROBERT TOAL
April 23,1958 - July 17, 2022


Our deeply loved Ian left us on Sunday, July 17, 2022 after a sudden and devastating illness.
He leaves behind his wife Barb Eastveld, and his sister Allison Kornelsen (Wilf); his three sons, Sean (Lisa), Brendan (Diane) and Andrew Wylie-Toal (Junnel); and grandchildren, Nolan, Stella, Liam and Emelia, all from Ontario. Ian loved them and was immensely proud of them all.
Ian preferred the outdoors; nature was his panacea for the problems of everyday life. He has a degree in entomology and a passion for taking photos of wildlife and was very good at it. Ian was at the Red River bank on Churchill Drive every day, rain, snow or shine, walking with our dog Finn and taking photos of wildlife. He uploaded these photos to inaturalist.ca and became so prolific and expert in identifying genus and species - especially moths that he became a curator for the Canadian site. He made many friends over the years who belonged to the international website.
He was also known and admired for his frequent, balanced and well-expressed letters to the Winnipeg Free Press.
Earlier in his life, he was a Psych RN in Ontario and then came back to Winnipeg to care for his elderly parents, where he graduated from the Intensive Care Program. After nursing, he turned his mind to the University of Winnipeg Master's in Development Practice from which he graduated with high honours. Ian's other lifelong interests were reading, writing, ecology, wildlife protection, militaria and good "peasant food".
Ian has been cremated and there will be a small family memorial at a later date.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful doctors, nurses and unit assistants at Health Sciences Centre ER and Neurologist Dr. Michael Cossawy for their care of Ian and his family at the ER. They made sure that Ian was not in pain or discomfort. He died peacefully.


As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 30, 2022

Condolences & Memories (11 entries)

  • I am very sad to hear of Ians passing, he was one of my main inspirations in the entomology world and its a devastating loss for the already small community of moth enthusiasts. He always stood out as a very open minded kind man, and he will be missed. My condolences to his family. - Posted by: Liam Hutcheson (Inat friend ) on: Oct 03, 2022

  • On the iNaturalist forum, Ian was quick to welcome every new member, quick to deescalate conflict, and as willing to say, “I don’t know,” as he was to say, “I do know.” He is already missed, his absence glaringly evident. His passing is mourned and his contributions celebrated on the iNat forum: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/in-memoriam-ian-toal-mamestraconfigurata/34998 - Posted by: Jons (INaturalist friend) on: Aug 31, 2022

  • I'm so sorry to hear about this awful loss. He undoubtedly is going to be missed insurmountably on iNaturalist by all who were lucky enough to interact with him. He helped me many times and my son, Knox, was especially touched by his continual kindness. One of the most meaningful interactions I had with him was immediately after I had joined the forum, and he made sure I knew that my son and I were very welcome there, as well as on the site. It meant a lot coming from a total stranger. It seems like that's just the kind of wonderful man he was. Kind to all and very generous in his heart. - Posted by: Dallon & Knox (iNaturalist ) on: Aug 29, 2022

  • We both have fond memories of working with Ian in MICU. He was a kind and caring nurse. His relaxed nature and good sense of humor was a perfect balance for the challenges of working in ICU. We were fortunate to share many interests and activities with Ian, like biking, cross country skiing and running a half marathon together. Very saddened to hear of his passing. Our hearts go out to Barb and family. - Posted by: Michele and Marcel Prairie (Friends and Former co-worker in MICU) on: Aug 17, 2022

  • So sad to hear of Ian's passing. Condolences to the family. - Posted by: Sunday Lizu (Former Classmate - Masters in Development Practice) on: Aug 14, 2022

  • I really enjoyed working with Ian in the ICU. We had so many fun times together despite the serious nature of our work. He had a very gentle soul and cheeky sense of humour. My condolences to his family. - Posted by: Jan Deviaene (Colleague) on: Aug 14, 2022

  • Our most sincere sympathies to Ian's family and friends from the Moth group of Quebec. Ian brought a lot to our group through his generous help on iNaturalist. His death touches us a lot. - Posted by: Jonathan Gagnon (iNaturalist user) on: Aug 02, 2022

  • My condolences on Ian's passing. I knew Ian only through iNaturalist, where he shared his expertise and love of nature freely and broadly. He offered advice to me and made identifications for me many times. An example of how community-minded he was: he made over 30,000 identifications for people on iNaturalist, most of whom were probably for people he'd never met in person. He was a very important and highly respected member of the Canadian iNaturalist community. - Posted by: Gregory Pohl (naturalist colleague) on: Aug 01, 2022

  • I am so sorry to hear of your loss of Ian, Barb. Thinking of you! - Posted by: Claudette Boucher (Barb’s co worker) on: Aug 01, 2022

  • So sorry to hear of Ian’s passing. Fond memories of working with him. Sending support to you all. Shelley - Posted by: Shelley Havelange (Former co-worker) on: Jul 30, 2022

  • Rest in Peace Ian. Loved your work ethic and friendship. My condolences to Barb and the family. - Posted by: Renate ( Schjerning ) Gardy (former co-worker in MICU) on: Jul 30, 2022

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