Clereta Toler

Clereta Toler, 95, a long-time resident of Irving, died Saturday, May 7, 2022 at her home surrounded by her family.  Born September 23, 1926 in Dallas, she was the daughter of the late Eugene Wilce Abney and Vella Shouse Abney.  She grew up the Oak Cliff area of Dallas.  She attended elementary school in Trinity Heights and Boude Storey Jr. High.  She played many sports at Boude Storey including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball.  She even made the Dallas newspaper in 1939 catching a football pass at age 13.  She attended Adamson High School her freshmen year and then her family moved to the Elm Community of Irving in 1941.  She attended Irving High School her sophomore year.  She met her future husband, LeRoy Toler, who lived nearby when she would walk to his house to use the telephone to call friends in Dallas.  LeRoy thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and asked a friend to get him a blind date with her.  Her family moved back to Dallas in 1942.  She and LeRoy got married January 9, 1943 in Dallas and lived in Irving.  During World War II LeRoy joined the Army Air Corps and was sent to Kansas City, Kansas where Clereta joined him.  When she turned 18 years old, she went to work for North American building airplanes and became a “Rosie the riveter”.  They were later stationed in Stockton, California where their son Robert “Bob” was born in 1946.  They returned to the Toler family farm and built a house.  Their daughter, Sharon was born in 1949. Clereta truly loved the Lord.  She was a member of Kirkwood United Methodist Church in Irving since 1956.  She was a homemaker, Girl Scout leader, and a Real Estate broker for White Realty.  She had both an insurance license and beautician license.  She enjoyed sewing, oil painting and crocheting.  Clereta’s family was her life and she always had a video camera in her hands.  She enjoyed taking family vacations with her children and grandchildren, spending weekends at the family tree farm in East Texas and the lake house at Lake Texoma, and family time at home.  She was a wonderful Mom to her kids and the greatest MeeMaw to her six grandkids and nine great-grandkids.  She was loved by so many and will be greatly missed. Preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 73 years, LeRoy in 2016, her five sisters and one brother, LaVada Bowers, Louise Cooksey, Cordie Medford, Buddy Abney, infant Betty Jean Abney, and Vella Mae Garrett and their spouses, and by a son-in-law, Doyle Hix in 2020.  She is survived by a  son, Robert “Bob” Toler and wife Judy;  daughter, Sharon Toler Hix, all of Irving; 6 grandchildren, Robin Fenley and husband Brian, Brian Hix and wife Heather, Heather Cozart and husband Brad, Janet McMillen and husband Kevin, Lisa Simms and husband Logan, and Jennifer Neumann and husband Trent; 9 great-grandchildren, Jarrett and Addison Fenley, Reagan and Dale Hix, Elleson and Elin Cozart, Kendall and Arthur Simms, and Piper Neumann; and many nieces and nephews. The funeral was 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Colonial Funeral Home of Irving.   Burial was at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens.