Gary H. Dr. Toops

Toops, Dr. Gary Howard, 59, Professor of Russian Languages at Wichita State University, died Monday, October 14, 2013. Memorial Service will be at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, October 26, 2013, at Grace Memorial Chapel at Wichita State University. He was born March 30, 1954 the first born of Howard Parsons Toops and Emma Portner Toops in Fr. Eustis, VA. He was a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada and earned his PhD in Russian and Slavic Literature from Yale in 1985. He received his formal training in Russian at the Leningrad (i.e. St. Petersburg) Moscow and Petrozavodsk State Universities. He had been teaching at Wichita State University since 1989. Gary was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Connie Toops-Walker on August 11, 2013. Survived by: siblings, Daniella Toops-Jones of Hamilton, IL, Tony William Toops of Wayland, MO and Ronald Warren Toops of Newport News, VA; one niece, Amber M. Tripp of Donnellson, IA; nephews, Brent Tripp of Belleville, IL, Seth Elder of Kansas City, MO, and Trenton Toops of Wayland, MO. Gary was also survived by aunts, uncles and cousins, especially Lenelle Freeman of Austin, TX and Glenda Nelson of Portland, OR. A memorial has been established with: Wichita State University, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS 67260. Downing Lahey Mortuary East.