Obituary of John Toomey

John Michael Toomey drank his last beer. He was born in Cortland, NY, to Paul and Virginia Toomey in January 1940 at a very young age. He was a lifetime member of St. Mary's Church and graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1957 after 13 years, kindergarten through 12th grade. In 1958, he joined the US Navy Reserves and in March of 1959 he went on active duty for over 3 years. Upon discharge, he returned to Cortland and in June 1963 he joined the New York State Police and served in many stations throughout the state before returning to the Cortland area in 1966. In 1964 he married Virginia Snyder and that union resulted in the birth of his 2 daughters, Theresa "Terri" (Ackroyd) and Cheryl (Cody), both of Cortland, NY. John served in many capacities while in the State Police. He was at the closing of the old Homer Station in 1968 and the opening of the Locust Avenue station in Cortland. He was a Road Trooper, an Accident Reconstruction Investigator and the Troop Public Information Officer before being promoted to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations in 1979. He was then stationed in Norwich and went to Major Crime Investigations in Binghamton before returning to Cortland in late 1981. In 1985 he was transferred to the Special Investigations Unit in Binghamton, which worked under the Organized Crime Task Force in Albany, where he remained until he retired from the State Police in December 1994. He received 4 Superintendent Awards for excellent police work on major criminal investigations. He was at the Attica Prison riot in 1971 among many other noteworthy incidents during his tour of duty. Immediately upon his retirement, he was hired by his good friend and rabbi in the State Police, US Marshal Ed Kelly as a Court Security Officer for the United States Marshals Service in Syracuse, NY. Within a year, he obtained the rank of District Supervisor for the Northern District of NY, where he worked directly with the US Marshals Service. He was responsible for protecting all federal judges and the courthouse properties of the Northern District. John retired in 2015 on his 50th anniversary of being a police officer and stated that he loved his job. John met his current wife Bonnie (Porter) Carpenter in 1984, and they were wed in 1997, and he became an acting stepfather for her 3 children, Amy Bancroft, Cortland, NY, Nancy Carpenter, Clarkston, GA, and Richard Carpenter, Fort Mill, SC. He is survived by his wife Bonnie, daughters Terri (James) "Jeff" Ackroyd, Cheryl (Richard) "Buzzy" Cody, and their children John and Nicholas Cody, Amy Bancroft and her children Jack and Abby Bancroft, Nancy Carpenter, and Richard Carpenter (Kristy Hartford Spears). He is also survived by his siblings Suzanne Bell of Camillus, NY, Kathleen ("Keen") DuBois of Homer, NY, Michael (Barbara) Toomey of Cortland, NY, sister-in-law Barbara of Cortland, NY, and a slew of nephews and nieces. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother Joseph Toomey and brothers-in-law Dale DuBois and Gary Bell. John used to brag how his family were his best friends, and he usually met his brothers several times a week to have a few beers and play pitch at the local clubs, especially the Elks. He was a member of the Cortland Elks Lodge for 48 years, the Cortland VFW since 1962, the Homer American Legion, the Retired New York State Police Association and the National Troopers Association. Calling hours will be held on Sunday, March 16, 2025, from 2-5 pm at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave., Cortland, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 11 am at the St. Mary's Church, 59 N. Main St., Cortland, NY. Donations can be made to the New York State Troopers PBA, https://signal30.org/donate/ To offer online condolences please visit www.wright-beard.com.