Tommie Iris Dale Tolar
86, Hattiesburg
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, at Colonial Funeral Home for Tommie Iris Dale Tolar, 86, of Hattiesburg, who passed away on May 20, in Hattiesburg after a brief hospitalization. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. until the time of the services on Sunday, June 28, at Colonial Funeral Home. 
She was born in Columbia on June 24, 1936. She attended Columbia High School and graduated in the class of 1954. She attended Mississippi State College for Women, where she developed her love of reading and education. She later earned a master's degree in education from the University of New Orleans.
After marrying in 1958, she and Louis moved to New Orleans in 1960, where they raised their three children. She was a dedicated and gifted educator, who worked as a teacher in the Jefferson Parish school system for over 30 years. She was well-respected and loved by both colleagues and students alike. She was highly intelligent and felt called to share her gift with her students, her friends and her family. She was also a fantastic cook! Dinnertime was always a happy time at the Tolar house! Everyone who knew her was very aware of her quick wit; some of her sarcasm has gone down in history as some of the best comedy ever performed.
She loved giving gifts and was known to send out cards for just about every holiday Hallmark celebrates, especially on Valentine's Day, which she proclaimed was her favorite holiday. She always kept little “happys” around, just in case she felt like she needed to cheer someone up. She was kind, thoughtful, loving and generous. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Edward Dale and Mary Sawyer Dale; her sister, Ann Dale Robertson; and by her beloved husband, Louis Richard Tolar.
Survivors include her three children, Judy Sager of Houston, Texas, Marc Tolar of San Mateo, Calif., and Lesley McHardy of Jackson; three grandchildren, Sven Sager, Erik Sager and Lottie McHardy; and sister, Shirley Dale of Madison, as well as a host of nieces, and great-nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Caminar, Attn: Development 411 Borel Ave., Suite 101 San Mateo, CA 94402 or www.Caminar.org
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.colonialfuneralhomes-ms.com. Arrangements are entrusted to Colonial Funeral Home, Columbia, MS
