CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Bernadette M Toner

Bernadette M. Toner, 79, of Cinnaminson, NJ; formerly of Riverside, NJ, Shipbottom, NJ,and Manahawkin, NJ, passed away on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

Bernadette was born in 1946 in Riverside, NJ to the late Clement and Helen Gross. She was the youngest of nine children. She was a graduate of Holy Cross High School and St. Francis School of Nursing. Bernadette was a life-long Catholic and person of deep faith who was an example of someone trying to follow and live out the teachings of the gospel in all parts of her life. She was a parishioner for most of her life at St. Peter’s in Riverside, then St. Francis of Assisi on Long Beach Island, and finally Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown.

In 1967, Bernadette married Timothy Toner. Tim was the love of her life, her husband, best friend, and business partner. A friend recently described her love for Tim as the purest, most enduring love that someone could ever have for a spouse. Bernadette and Tim then raised their three children in Riverside, NJ, until she and Tim moved to their much loved home in Shipbottom, NJ. Although not a sitting on the beach person, Bernadette loved the relaxed atmosphere, salt air, deck sitting, and small town charm of LBI, not to mention the ability to enjoy her favorite seafood.

Bernadette was a loving mother who offered unconditional love, support, and generosity to her children. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and she was especially happy when she could get as many of them together at once as possible. She will be remembered as the mother who would do anything she could for her children. She was devoted, protective, thoughtful, and gentle. She was a proud grandmother to thirteen grandchildren and was the best to spend time with, providing unconditional love and support, helping with hands-on care, showing up at their events, and just hanging out. In the last several years, she became a great grandmother to six and was a gentle place to cradle them in loving arms.

Second only to her love of her husband and family, was her deep rooted sense of helping and being a caregiver. She helped care for several aunts and her mother-in-law in their last years, became the primary caregiver for both of her parents in their final years, and was the most fiercely protective and loving caregiver for her husband, Tim, at the end of his life. This sense of purpose and her desire to provide dignity to the elderly in their last years informed her calling in long term care after she graduated from nursing school. Her career began as an aide while in nursing school, then nurse, then director of nursing at several long term care facilities, and then finally her last ten years before retirement as a corporate clinical nurse manager for Genesis Healthcare. Bernadette, along with Tim, was also the proud owner of Reliable Healthcare for many years. Bernadette remained friends with many of the people she worked with over her professional life who have expressed their admiration and respect for her skills, demeanor, and knowledge, as well as her care for the patients over the years, and the families she comforted. They’ve called her the “best boss ever” and “shining example of a life well – lived.”

Bernadette was a friend to many. She is remembered as a wonderful, caring, helpful, fun, and amazing person. Her work friends, LBI friends and neighbors, Riverside friends, and her best friends of 70 years – Marie Morgan, Kathy Ramsay, and Joann Hammond – will all miss her tremendously. She shared her whole life with Marie, Kathy, and Joann. They’d been through the happiest of times, the mundane, and the deeply sad times and losses together. They were more like sisters than just friends; she loved and cherished them.

Not to be left out, Bernadette’s other love was for all of her rescue cats. She had many over the years, but her favorite was Sadie, who was her companion through the loss of her husband, Tim. Sadie pre-deceased Bernadette by just a few months – a blessing, as Bernadette always worried about Sadie’s care if she weren’t here to take care of her.

Bernadette is pre-deceased by her husband, Timothy; brothers Clement, Edward, Francis, and Joseph Gross; sisters Julia Evans and Sr. M. Gwendolyn; and one great-granddaughter.

Bernadette is survived by her children Alissa (John) McGreevy of Moorestown, NJ; Timothy (Beth) Toner of Mt. Laurel, NJ; Scott (Atsumi) Toner of Honolulu, HI; her grandchildren Kaitlyn (Edward) Forsthoffer, Sean McGreevy, Casey (Robert) Papotto, Clare (Will) Kitson, Sara (Daniel) Toner, Amelia Toner, Miranda Toner, Corrin Toner, Erica Toner, Ryan Toner, Lance Toner, Jake Toner, and Bryson Toner; 5 great grandchildren; brothers Joseph Larkins and Gerard (Kathleen) Gross; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on October 25, from 9:30-10:30am at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, 42 West Main Street, Moorestown NJ 08057. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30am. Interment Private

In lieu of flowers and in remembrance of Bernadette’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to Bernadette’s favorite charity, St. Jude’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org