Willard Tuomi, age 84, died on Nov 8th after a long illness. Willard taught and coached at Carleton for 37 years, beginning as an Instructor in Physical Education for Men in 1955 and retiring in 1992 as an Associate Professor of Physical Education for Men. Along the way, he briefly coached basketball, but focused on baseball, football, and was the head coach of men’s swimming and diving.
Willard was greatly appreciated by his colleagues and students for his loyalty and his laid-back demeanor. He was known for his sense of humor and clever sayings, including stories about the summer of 1988, when Willard coached football in Finland—which was anything but “real” football then. His nickname, “Waldo,” from his Hibbing High School—where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2003—jokingly followed him here to Carleton.
Willard was married to Doris, who was also a Carleton employee and who passed away in 2005. They had two daughters who have helped to care for Willard in his declining years.
A memorial service for Willard will take place Saturday, November 14th, at 11:00 am at the Wulff Funeral Home, 1485 White Bear Ave., St. Paul, MN 55106. Visitation will begin one hour before the service at 10am.
Please keep all of Willard’s family, friends, and former students in your thoughts and prayers.
Carolyn
Comments
I have fond memories of Will, including when we were teammates on the Carleton Shop Bowling Team, and times when I assisted him at swimming meets. He was easy to like and always helpful, a good colleague.
My first year at Carleton was Freshman Football, the fall of 1956. That began a memorable relationship with Willard, one that I will cherish to the end. The games; the practices; the conversations were priceless. We have lost a true friend who willingly and eagerly shared his life with all of us. My Carleton coaching staff is together again. Warren Beson and Mel Taube welcome you to the table.
Very early in my career at Saint Thomas, I became close friends with Will. I have fond memories of great competition with the Carleton men, and it was always a friendly rivalry with lots of sportsmanship and mutual respect. In addition to our dual meet, our teams often met at the Luther/Loras Invitational, and Will and I always got together at one or the other's hotel room to do some damage to a sink-full of beer. There were lots of jokes, stories, and laughs.
Willard replaced my dad, Chet, as swim coach. He and Doris even bought our house. When I returned as a student in the fall of '65, freshmen were ineligible for varsity sports and Willard was the frosh football coach. It was also the year the Twins were hosting World Series games and on those days we had practice at 6:00 a.m. so the coach was free to attend the games! Doris and Willard were very gracious inviting me to dinner and letting me study at their home my freshmen year. My favorite Willard football quote, which I heard often, was after someone made a stupid mistake: "you'll get it in grad school." What a guy!