Michael Thomas Toy

Michael Thomas Toy son, brother, husband, musician, athlete, Doctor of Pharmacy January 1954-June 2025 A Chicago area native, Michael was the third of four sons born to Gerald and Betty Toy. In high school he wrestled and ran track and enjoyed singing and playing in a rock band, causing him in later years to wonder aloud whether he should have taken his parents up on their offer to get him started in the music business rather than go to college. Summers were spent at his grandfather’s lake home in Michigan. He earned a degree in genetics at University of Illinois, won numerous foosball tournaments, and ran a bar in Champaign called the Alley Cat. In the 1980s Michael moved to Raleigh, where he briefly worked in restaurant equipment sales and court reporting before putting his degree to work in the pharmaceutical industry for companies including Kabi Pharmacia and GSK. As a quality assurance auditor he took advantage of the opportunity to sightsee during business trips to places including Finland, England, Germany, and France. He excelled at recreational volleyball, both indoor and beach, snorkeled in Hawaii, and did scuba dives in Grand Cayman. Michael’s first date with Gwen Barclay, at her invitation, was to an NC State men’s basketball game on her birthday in 1988. Their relationship survived his move to Albuquerque for five years. In 1997 they married at Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai, and when his townhouse finally sold, he returned to North Carolina. To improve his chance at admission to a professional degree program, he earned a second bachelor’s degree, this time summa cum laude in microbiology, and was admitted to the nationally ranked PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) program at UNC Chapel Hill. Upon graduation in 2008 he worked retail pharmacy at Harris Teeter and then medical information, advising doctors on drugs, for PPD, Inc (Pharmaceutical Product Development). He also enjoyed the opportunity to do some teaching in Wake Tech’s Bioworks program and Durham Tech’s pharmacy tech program. Michael continued to enjoy playing his guitar and singing; watching women’s volleyball matches at NC State, UNC, and Duke; visiting botanical gardens; taking greenway walks; exercising in the health club pool; being a fan of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune; and traveling to favorite places such as Banff, Hilton Head, and Oregon. He took great pride and delight in introducing himself as “Doctor Michael Thomas Toy.” Friends and family will remember his smile, sense of humor, and caring nature. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Duke Dementia Family Support Program https://dukefamilysupport.org/giving/

Michael Thomas Toy

January 15, 1954 - June 3, 2025