Hugh "Tom" Thomas Hoy

Tom was born on August 30, 1937, in Carmel, California, to Boyd Wallace Hoy and Anne Margaret Hitchcock. He grew up on 13th Street in Pacific Grove and attended Robert Down Elementary School from 1942 to 1952, graduating from Pacific Grove High School in 1955. Tom excelled in athletics, earning letters in football, basketball, and baseball, was named All-Central Coast in football in 1954, and All-Conference 2 in baseball in 1954–1955. During high school, he also worked as a lifeguard and wrote sports articles for the Monterey Herald.

Tom attended Monterey Peninsula College (1955–1957), where he continued playing football and baseball, earning letters in each and being named Athlete of the Year in 1956. He then transferred to the University of Redlands, where he played football and baseball from 1957 to 1959 and earned a B.A. in Social Studies with a minor in Kinesiology. The following year, he completed his High School Special Education Certificate at the University of California, Riverside, and later received an M.A. in Physical Education from San Jose State University in 1969. He also pursued additional graduate studies at Point Loma and Pepperdine Universities. Tom served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1954 to 1963.

Tom’s career in education spanned almost 56 years. He began teaching Special Education and Adaptive PE at Colton High School (1959–1961) and Mountain View High School (1961–1968), where he also coached junior varsity football and varsity baseball at both schools. During his time at Mountain View, he additionally served as Director of Student Activities. He then became Vice Principal at Los Altos High School (1968–1972), Principal of Bloomington High School in Colton, California (1972–1976), and later served as High School Vice Principal and Junior High Principal in the San Marcos Unified School District (1976–1981). From 1982 to 1983, he was Assistant Superintendent for Reef-Sunset Unified School District in Avenal, California.

In 1983, Tom joined the Turlock Unified School District, where he served 14 years as a Junior High and Elementary Principal. He retired from public schools in 1997 after 38 years of education, but his passion for teaching and mentoring did not end there. Following a year as a consultant for new administrators, he went on to spend an additional 17 years (1998–2015), teaching kinesiology in the California State University system at CSU Stanislaus as an adjunct professor.

While living in Turlock, Tom was active in service and volunteer work. His contributions included serving as an elder, deacon, Sunday school teacher, youth group advisor, church administrator, and usher. He was also involved with the Exchange Club, Salvation Army Advisory Board, HIV Advisory Board in Stanislaus County, and the Rotary Club. When Tom and Nancy returned to Pacific Grove in 2018, he supported the reading and mentoring programs at Robert Down and Forest Grove Elementary Schools. He also volunteered as an assistant junior varsity baseball coach at Pacific Grove High School. At the time of his passing, Tom was volunteering at Monterey Peninsula College as a line coach with the Lobos football program and assisting with the study hall program.

Tom enjoyed reading and walking on the beach. He lived by the motto, “Be the best that you can be.” His guiding belief was, “I believe that every person has individual worth and dignity, and I try to live that belief.”

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Williams Burton Hoy. Tom and Nancy met in the first grade in Pacific Grove, became high school sweethearts, and were reunited later in life, marrying in 2016. They were blessed with nearly nine years together. He is also survived by children Thomas Marc Hoy of Tucson, Arizona, and Peggy Hoy Barrad of Elk Grove, California; four grandchildren, Alexis, Addison, Kelcey, and Brody; and two great-grandchildren, Harley and Bryson. He is further survived by his brother-in-law David J. Weiland (Lillian) and niece Julia Weiland Copado (Ivan). He also held close ties with Nancy’s children John Burton (Paula), Jeff Burton (Heather), Jim Burton (Florentina), and Ruth Burton Vaccaro (Paul); ten grandchildren and twenty-three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Anna Marie Farr Melvin; his son, David (Ted) Theodore Hoy; his third wife of 31 years, Virginia Ann Weiland Hoy; and his brother, John (Jack) Melvin Hoy.

In honor of Tom’s life, contributions may be directed to the Pacific Grove High School Alumni Association (Music and/or Athletics), P.O. Box 51396, Pacific Grove, CA 93950-6396, or to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Tour America and/or Samaritan’s Purse), 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201-0001.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 12:30 PM at the Pacific Grove Community Center, 515 Junipero Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. A light lunch will be served. Kindly RSVP to [email protected] by October 4, 2025.