Vale Robert Toffoletto

Dear Families,

I know our community is shocked and saddened at the sudden death of Rob Toffoletto on Tuesday.

Rob was a stay-at-home dad having taken early retirement a few years ago and had a strong presence at St Joseph's at drop off, pick up, and various school events. Angie and their children Stella, Cristina, and Peter will cherish the memories of Rob being a committed and loving father, and a devoted husband. He was simply always there for them.

Our community will dearly miss Rob; I will miss our little chats or friendly waves in the morning and I know many of our staff have very fond memories of him. The Toffoletto family have been at St Joseph's school for many years, and have also been very involved in the life of the parish.

Speaking to our Year 5 parents this week has reinforced that Rob was a great dad and husband and a much-loved friend. One parent remarked that Rob always had time for others, whether it be for a chat or lending a hand when others needed help. He was a calm and steady influence on the basketball boys that he chauffered to and from games, and they genuinely enjoyed Rob's company.

Angie has asked me to pass on her sincere thanks to the St Joseph's community (all year levels) and she is overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the amount of support, both in practical and emotional terms, that she has received from our families. Within a couple of hours of the news being shared, rosters had been set up for food delivery and for other help that was needed; it was really incredible to witness the collective arms wrap around the Toffoletto family.

A special thank you to Kerry (Henry 5C) and Fiona (Patrick C 5C) for coordinating the support for Angie and the children.

I would also like to publicly acknowledge the support of our new Parish Priest, Fr Gallacher, who, within minutes of me calling him to share the news, went to visit Angie and the children. Being people of deep faith, this visit was most welcome and I'd like to thank Fr Gallacher for being there for the family at such short notice.

Thank you also to our Year 5 teacher, Liam Cleary, for taking such good care of our students this week as they processed the news and also for joining me in visiting the family this week. 

Finally, I'd like to make special mention of our Year 5 students. Peter came to school yesterday afternoon after making the decision to attend basketball training. Each and every year 5 student greeted him with a big hug, kind words and obvious compassion- I'm sure there were a few tears amongst the parents.

With Angie's permission, I will share information regarding Rob's funeral when it becomes available. 

Thank you to our very special community for rallying together to support the Toffoletto family. As Angie said, "what an amazing village".

Rest in Peace Rob. You will be sorely missed by all of us at St Joseph's.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace. 

Amen.