Stover, Tobias “Toby” Brooks Age 46 of Wellesley MA died unexpectedly February 28, 2021. Toby’s warm smile and infectious laugh was a joy to his family and friends and will be dearly missed.
Toby was born and raised in Calais, Maine, where his love for the outdoors and the environment took root early. He enjoyed just about every outdoor activity there is, but favorites were hiking and biking. Toby’s dedication to community service and love of the outdoors came together early in his life as he achieved the level of Eagle Scout. The Scouts acknowledgment of his ‘excellence along the trail’ was something that was woven into the fabric of his daily life.
Toby completed a BA in Political Science from Assumption College and shortly after graduating he struck off on a cross country trip, arriving in Alaska where he worked in the salmon fishing industry for several months. Realizing his passion for the environment, he furthered his education with a BS in Biology from Framingham State University and an MS in Biology from UMass.
Toby’s love of hiking took him across some of the country’s most beautiful trails. He was a 2003 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, and completed the John Muir Trail as well as many others.
His love of biking also started early, and that love carried all the way through to commuting to work from Wellesley to Boston via bicycle for many years. He shared his passion with others, often gathering groups of friends together to ride parks and public lands. He fostered his love of biking in children as well, regularly rescuing and restoring bikes from the town transfer station to pass on to his niece, nephew, and his many friends’ children.
Toby’s passion for biking took him and his wife Jane to France several times to watch the Tour de France, and he took the opportunity to bicycle around the entire Isle of Jersey. He also returned to several countries that he had visited during a study abroad semester, to share his love of adventure with his beloved wife.
His passion and his education led him to a career as a water quality scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency, and he put his professional talents to work for his community by serving on the Wellesley Town Wetlands Protection Committee. Toby was also an enthusiastic and determined bee keeper.
Those who knew Toby could feel his joy for life in every smile, every hug, and every laugh. Sharing this joy and giving to others was innate for Toby and was apparent in everything that he did. He never missed an opportunity to be outdoors, sharing a bike ride, a walk, a hike, an outdoor concert or just an ice cream on a summer day in the park with family and friends. On February 28, Toby’s last day with us on Earth, he was out on a trail, his feet on the pedals, enjoying the cool crisp air and the bright blue sky of a beautiful winter’s day.
Toby is survived by his wife of 15 years Jane Buchanan-Stover, his mother Dona Lounsbury and father Lee Stover, his sister Alyssa and her husband Daniel Bregman, and their children. He is also survived by numerous extended family.
A celebration of life as well as memorial donation preferences will be announced at a later date when we are able to gather outdoors in a space befitting Toby, to honor and share remembrances of this fine man that so many held so dear.