Bob Turel (Turturiello), a longtime training specialist for the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., who created an extraordinary legacy in Toastmasters International, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 1, at 7:22 PM EST, following an over five-year battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), at his home in St. Pete Beach, Fla., with his beloved wife Vicki by his side. He was 74, one month from his 75th birthday, and one day after their 38th wedding anniversary. Born in Nutley, N.J., he is preceded in death by his parents, Anthony (2014) and Lorrayne (2006) Turturiello, and he is survived by Vicki; his sisters Barbara DeRose (late husband Robert) and Beverly Herbert (and husband Mike); and nephews and nieces; and cousins in New Jersey.
A graduate of Nutley High, he was known early on as Bobby T due to his Italian surname, which he later shortened to Turel. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University as a part-time student after landing a fulltime job in the mailroom at Hoffman LaRoche, the Swiss pharmaceutical company whose U.S. headquarters had been in Nutley. He earned a degree in business management/organizational psychology and a master’s degree in business administration while building a successful career at Hoffman LaRoche, leaving as a high-level IT manager and corporate trainer more than 15 years after starting in the mailroom. He eventually moved to St. Pete in October 1982 and fell in love with the year-round sunshine and beaches – and his soul mate and love of his life, Vicki, who also moved to St. Pete in 1982. They met on St. Pete Beach, fell fast and forever in love, and in 1985 they were married and began their long, happy and laughter-filled life.
Bob’s experience as a corporate trainer at Hoffman LaRoche led him to a training role for nearly 15 years with the city of St. Petersburg’s water resources group, where he provided interpersonal skills training for over 3,500 employees in areas such as leadership, technology, public speaking and email communications. He wrote dozens of courses and pioneered the use of computer-based training (CBT) to enhance course effectiveness. Bob retired from his long and successful career with the city in 2009.
He had already been highly involved in Toastmasters International, the renowned group that furthers public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of local clubs, and in retirement he became a superstar who spent a total of over 26 years in Toastmasters. A gifted and charming speaker with a delightful sense of humor, he earned the honor of being a Distinguished Toastmaster. He was especially interested in speech evaluations, a critical part of Toastmasters and building a person’s confidence and skills, and once again pioneered an innovative way to provide feedback, using a metaphor that he called The Sandwich.
His formula was to begin with two or three positives (slice of bread), then suggest one or two pieces of constructive feedback (the meat) and finish with another positive comment (slice of bread) – and to incorporate entertainment and humor in providing constructive feedback in a positive way. His evaluation formula resonated and soon he was in demand to share his positive reinforcement philosophy.
At Vicki’s suggestion, he wrote an e-book, How to Give Effective Evaluations, and he produced a training video, and eventually became known as the Sandwich Master. On his Facebook page Bob flashed his ever-present trademark smile matching his striking white hair, looking handsome as ever in a tuxedo with white gloves. In his extended hand he held a plated sandwich next to the tongue-in-cheek headline, What’s in Your Speech Evaluation? He trained thousands of people around the world, in person and virtually, to improve their skills and confidence in public speaking, internal presentations and employee meetings, as well as, he firmly believed, in everyday interactions, a true life skill.
Bob became an expert in video production and editing, started the Presentations Coach business, and was prolific in developing and producing Sandwich Master training videos. He expanded his portfolio to include executive speech preparation, producing commercials, modeling and appearing in small roles as an actor in commercials. Later, as the ALS disease took an increasing toll on his health, Bob continued to offer doing speech evaluations by having people email videos of their speeches, which he reviewed and then provided his evaluation via email.
In his e-book, Bob said, “I feel most alive when I am interacting with an audience.” His passion and impact was recognized in 2017 when Toastmasters District 48 honored him by dedicating future competitions the Bob Turel Evaluation Contest, a testament to his exceptional contributions and the thousands of lives he touched and improved through his tireless devotion to enhancing effective interactions. His health already significantly impacted in 2017, Bob made a special appearance at the ceremony and shared heartfelt remarks to a long and emotional ovation.
Afterward, Bob felt re-inspired and re-dedicated himself to staying involved in Toastmasters, realizing he could use email to still help people while also keeping him engaged despite being homebound. In recent months, he was unable to continue, as ALS slowly progresses over time until the brain can no long initiate and control muscle movement, making it difficult to eat, move, speak and breathe. Spiritual by nature, he kept his positive attitude until the end. He had no regrets, he said, and he was eternally grateful to have such a happy, rewarding life with his soul mate Vicki, and feeling the love of countless family members, friends and colleagues around the world, whose lives were made better by knowing Bobby T, the one and only Sandwich Master.
No memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Suncoast Hospice Foundation, which provided exceptional support during his last days. Donations can be made at suncoasthospice.org.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.beachmemorial.com for the Turel family.
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