In back, left to right are: Amy (Sleasman) Arms, Robin Ladd, Jodi Toothaker, Laurie Phillips. Front: Yolanda Smith, Bobbi Lilley, Kimberly Ladd. Paula Kane

PHILLIPS — President of the Phillips Chamber of Commerce, Brenda Wilcox, is pleased to announce that this year’s Phillips Old Home Days’ honorees will be the Family of Margie and “Duna” Toothaker. The daughters of Margie and Duna Toothaker are Laurie Phillips, Bobbi Lilley, Robin Ladd, Yolanda Smith, Amy (Sleasman) Arms, Kimberly Ladd, and Jodi Toothaker. 
Margie Abbott Toothaker and John, better known as “Duna”, were married June 4, 1960.

They raised their family in the surrounding communities for the next 50 years. The first of Marge and Duna’s six biological children was born when Margie was just 16…and the family continued to grow. Margie and Duna always had a place, not only in their home, but in their hearts for anyone that needed a place to call home. That is how Amy came into the family. They say, the minute they met, it was an instant bond.

Amy states, “When I met Mum and Dad it was like I’d known them forever.”

The girls pointed out that because of everything that goes along with raising such a large family, they were instilled with these three top priorities: family, education, and community.

“We grew up with very little,” the girls agreed, “but we had plenty of family and plenty of love.”

Family values were probably started around their grandparents’ tables for Sunday dinners. Other special family occasions included Christmas celebrations, Friday night gatherings, and Easter egg hunts, just to name a few. These family gatherings created time together, making memories and an abundance of laughter.

Education was another priority stemming for Margie’s need to focus on family instead of finishing high school. The girls were always told “it’s not an option to not get an education.”

All the girls have completed some form of continued education, earning formal recognition in the form of everything from certificates to masters degrees. They attribute this to Margie’s own desire to be a lifelong learner.

Along with family, community was also of great importance to Margie and Duna. Accordingly, they always had a love of Old Home Days, a highlight of the year also for the thousands who have attended the festivities in this small town over the past 63 years. The 2023 event marks the 64th anniversary of Phillips Old Home Days.

Marge and Duna often bragged about never missing a parade – except to have their fourth child, Yolanda. Over the years, the family has accumulated countless hours volunteering, organizing events at Old Home Days, supporting local athletes, and assisting with other community activities and school functions. The girls continue this legacy as they, too, volunteer to make the community a better place in which to live. As did Margie and Duna, the girls consider their community to be “FAMILY.”

In 2009, Margie was diagnosed and succumbed to her second battle with cancer. Duna and the girls created a scholarship fund in her name to support local high school seniors. The girls would get together to create crafts, which they sold to support this fund, all under their Dad’s watchful eyes.

These gatherings, which always included lots of laughter, continued the family tradition, combining the making of memories with the goal of supporting those seeking to continue their education. To date the Scholarship has awarded nearly $12,000 to Mt. Abram Seniors.

In 2012, the family was asked to take over the Cancer Awareness Walk during OHD. One thing was immediately apparent: the money raised needed to stay local. There was an overwhelming need right in their own community to support those battling cancer. To date, the Cancer Awareness Walk has generated nearly $30,000 for 11 people.

In 2021, Duna passed of a sudden heart attack. He had supported Margie through her struggles with cancer and had great pride in what the memorial stood for. The girls knew they needed to form something in his memory because he was such a big part of what they do.

This is when the Margie and Duna Toothaker Memorial became what it is today. The girls have created “Hugs from Duna”, a basket which holds items of comfort, cash, and gift cards for those  fighting cancer. The girls emphasized that the baskets are donated periodically to a local person as a private way of supporting “our FAMILY”.

The immediate Toothaker family is comprised of seven girls and their spouses, eighteen grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren, and two great, great grandchildren, without whom it would be impossible to organize these fundraisers. Financially, “it takes a village” to raise all the funds which they have put back into their community family.

“Our family supports each other,” they all enthusiastically agree, “and it is our belief that cancer is not a personal diagnosis – it is a community diagnosis. Together We Fight!”

In summing up their reaction to being named this year’s OHD’s Honorees, the daughters also agreed, “We may be the honorees, but truly we are honored to serve our community.”