The oldest of seven children, Toni was born June 13, 1930, to the late Victor and Josephine Cantu, in Dallas, TX, where she graduated from Taft High School in 1948. At age 13, when her parents died, Toni and her siblings were separated and sent to various orphanages. Later, when Toni began attending nursing school, she was able to reunite with her sisters who came to live with her. She married the late Gregory A. Hearn in 1955 in Austin, TX, before relocating to Oakland, CA, In a career move, Toni started as a bookkeeper and became comptroller of United Savings and Loan in Seattle, WA. Opting for an adventurous career change into the fishing industry in Alaska, Toni had a brief stint sailing the Bering Sea in Alaska while cooking on a commercial fishing boat, the 'Shelik of Strait,' that sailed out of Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. "Tugboat Toni," as she was affectionately called, loved the ocean and sailing Puget Sound, the Pacific Coast, and through the Panama Canal until she retired from the galley of the tractor tugboat fleet at Foss Maritime Company. Toni was a strong spirited adventurous woman who was full of life and always up for a challenge.
In 2014, after the passing of her beloved life partner, Thomas McConathy, Toni left her friends and home in Vancouver, WA, in a move to California to be closer to her children.
Toni was preceded in death by her child, Valerie Hearn, age 3; and is survived by her daughter, Yvonne Hearn Robinson of Larkspur, CA; and her son, Mark Hearn of Long Beach, CA. In addition to her children, Toni is survived by her three sisters, Benita Fuson of Denton, TX, Amelia Neurath of Atlanta, GA and Roberta Rebekah Mueller of Cape Coral, FL.
Toni will always be remembered for her perseverance through adversity. her honesty. her generosity, her love of dancing, her fun sense of humor, and her loving heart. Heaven has gained a new angel.
A memorial ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at I I:30 a.m. at Keaton's Redwood Chapel of Marin in Novato, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Alzheimer's research.
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