Served St. Charles as head of school board, arts council

A man known for his love of the arts and for St. Charles has died at 85.

Carl Oscar Tolf died Dec. 10 in Orlando, Fla., where he lived in recent years.

Mr. Tolf lived in St. Charles from 1972 to 1986. He was active at St. Charles Episcopal Church and was a member of the St. Charles Country Club.

He served as president of the St. Charles school board and as president of the St. Charles Cultural Arts Commission in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His sons believe he was instrumental in establishing the Norris Cultural Arts Center, which was founded in 1978.

"He loved the arts, he loved opera, music and plays," said his son Jim Tolf of Orlando. "He was always going into Chicago. I think he wanted to bring that culture to St. Charles."

"He was a very dynamic and driven person who tried to live life to the fullest, whether it was work or contributing to the community," said his son Carl Robert Tolf of McLean, Va. "He loved St. Charles."

"He was one of the smartest people I ever met," said his nephew, Tom Tobin, of Crystal Lake. "He could talk about anything: sports, politics, culture."

Mr. Tolf was born Feb. 6, 1922, in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge. He enlisted in the Navy as a specialist in naval intelligence and was commissioned in 1945 at Harvard College.

At Harvard, he was awarded the U.S. Navy letter of commendation as battalion commander of the Reserve Officer Training Corps, elected president of the Fox Club and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Society. Recalled by the U.S. Navy in the Korean War, he served as intelligence officer liaison at the Inchon invasion and the evacuation at Wonsan.

Mr. Tolf was in business for more than 50 years, serving as president of several corporations. He founded Conac Corp. in 1971 and Cato Inc. in 1982. The company makes plastic cabinets for fire extinguishers, an invention for which he once held a patent. The company is run by his son Jim.

Both his sons say their father's love of the arts was a great influence.

"I have a Ph.D. in classical languages, and I teach Latin, in addition to having the business," Jim Tolf said. "We were all influenced by his cultural side."

Bob Tolf said one of his fondest memories of his father is a trip to Russia they made in 1987.

"I was studying Russian at the time, and he invited me to go with him. We went to the theater, to the opera, the Bolshoi Ballet and to hear the Leningrad Philharmonic. It was just the two of us."

Mr. Tolf was married to Barbara Jean Tobin, a concert violinist, who died in 1985. They had four children.

In 1988, he met Gene Poll Lombardi, and they were married for 16 years until her death two years ago. She shared his love of travel and the arts.

In addition to his two sons, Mr. Tolf is survived by his daughters, Leslie and Lisa; grandchildren, Matthew, Adam, Spencer and Eleanor; brother, Robert W. Tolf; and sister, Maggie Schon.

His ashes will be interred in Union Cemetery in St. Charles.

Memorial contributions can be made to the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave., St. Charles, IL 60174.