Obituary of Toni Lee Earls

Toni Lee Earls passed away on January 14, 2008 at home in Olympia. She was born in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 1945 to John and Katherine (Middleton) Earls. She attended High School in Renton, Washington and graduated from Similkaeen High School in Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada.During her lifetime she worked in Restaurant Management at Boston Pizza, Penticton, B.C.; Kaufman Foods, Vancouver, B.C.. Toni spent the last years of her life working with children as a school bus driver for Tumwater School District. Toni considered all kids “her kids” and she felt it was deeply important that we do all we can to improve and empower the lives of the children around us. She devoted countless hours developing a reading program called ‘Books on Buses’, that is designed to encourage our children to not only read but to enjoy and experience the wonders of the written word. Toni was dyslexic and had great difficulty in learning to read in her early years, as a result she was determined that every child should have every opportunity to learn. Toni was honored for this great work by the Governor of Washington and gained national recognition for her program. We thank her for this great contribution to our children. Toni loved anything to do with houses, from construction to interior design and would spent hours creating her dream home. Her passion was shared by her daughter Caitlin and the two of them spent countless hours pouring over magazines and critiquing the many design shows on TV. She also enjoyed reading, music, and especially enjoyed her cats Kyoto and Moyoko. Toni was a loving mother and an “awesome” grandmother to her two grandsons James and Tony. We remember her most for her love of nature and the outdoors, and the many adventures we shared camping in the Northwest. One of her greatest enjoyments was listening to others share their stories. She often said how blessed she felt to be able to share peoples memories and the greatest gifts we have to give are our experiences and knowledge. She will be in our hearts forever. Toni is survived by her daughter, Caitlin Van Zyll de Jong, brother John D. Earls, sister Susan Kay Fairchild, and 2 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents. Memorial Donations may be made to SafePlace, 314 Legion Way SE, Olympia, WA 98501.