Harriet (Sibby) Toland

Harriet (Sibby) Toland died February 10, from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 93. 

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sibby spent most of her early life in Coronado, California. It was there she developed her great love for tennis, a game she played until age 80. She attended the Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California, and, after graduating, went on to the Arizona State University in Phoenix for a year. She moved to New York and worked as a secretary, where she met Harry Toland on a blind date. Not long after, they were married in Coronado and travelled east across the country so Harry could work at the Pottstown Mercury newspaper, and, ultimately, the Philadelphia Bulletin. They settled in Swarthmore to raise their family, first on Haverford Place, then on Chester Road, on Walnut Lane, and in Wallingford. Sibby’s final home was the Strath Haven Condominiums on Yale Avenue in Swarthmore.

In addition to her skills as a mom and a tennis player, Sibby was a co-owner of the House of Yarn in Media, finishing countless pillows and bell pulls for happy customers. She and Harry were fundamental to Trinity Episcopal Church, Swarthmore. Sibby helped to organize numerous holiday fairs, was the girls choir director and a member of the Altar Guild, and needlepointed cushions on which parishioners have knelt for communion every Sunday for years. She and Harry served many turkey dinners during the Thanksgiving season, and she loved assisting at the Trinity Thrift Shop.

Sibby had a keen interest in gardening, always working to make improvements and try new plantings. Her love of the natural world extended to the welfare of all animals and birds. She was a tremendously skilled knitter and needleworker, creating wonderful socks, sweaters, and embroidered cushions and quilts. Her works embellish and brighten all our homes.

She is survived by a brother, Tom Keck (Linda), of Del Mar, California; her children, Margaret (Weemie) Kingham, Deborah (Tip) Toland (Ken Wassum), Phoebe Toland (Richard Notkin), and Robert Toland II. Also surviving her are grandchildren Jennifer Flynn, Rob Kingham, Alexis Fuge, Megan Chua, Robert Toland, and Grace Toland; and great-grandchildren, AJ, Kelly, and Sean Flynn; Sophia and Annabelle Fuge; and Maddie Chua, with Andrew Chua expected shortly.

Her generous spirit, her curiosity, and her desire to extend herself to so many to make our world a better place will be terribly missed by all who knew her. Deepest thanks to Alexis, her hospice nurse; Jen and Diana, her aides and friends; Father Ted and everyone at Trinity church; and to her many friends and supporters. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on February 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Swarthmore. Contributions in her name can be made to Habitat for Humanity.