Robert Michael Toronyi
Dr. Robert (Bob) Michael Toronyi passed away February 28, 2023 surrounded by his wife Cheryl and sons, Chris and Brian. Bob was born in Newark, NJ to Michael and Vilma Toronyi. He grew up in a modest house where he lived with his brother Ron, his parents, uncles Joseph and Andrew, and his maternal grandfather. During the summers, when returning from college, he worked at the glass factory with his father and his brother Ron. This experience laid the groundwork to Bob's work ethic that resonated throughout his life. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree in petroleum engineering from Marietta College and his Master's and PhD from Penn State University.
Bob met Cheryl at Marietta College and she would soon become his lifetime partner. She was the love of his life and shared his sense of adventure and yearning for travel. They soon added Chris and Brian to the family and became world travelers.
Bob's life was filled with adventure and curiosity. He moved the family from Pennsylvania to Colorado to California and then to Saudi Arabia, where he worked for Saudi Aramco. He took the family on many vacations during this time, experiencing different cultures, and most importantly, documenting them both in pictures and film, to share with future generations.
From Europe to Africa to Asia to Down Under, Robert loved a vacation that was full of adventure and, most of all, reveled in recounting his adventures when he returned. These vacations gave birth to the famous slide shows that are still proudly shown to his grandsons.
The family's move back to the United States landed them in Houston where Bob worked for Chevron, leading their technical services team which returned Bob to the Middle East to lead international technology activities in Kuwait. His appetite for different landscapes and cultures never waned. It's here Bob and Cheryl continued their adventures as they continued to travel and experience new cultures while based in Kuwait City.
For the past 20 years, Bob and Cheryl have lived in Danville, CA, outside San Francisco, where Bob started QRI with longtime friend Nansen Saleri, basing the company in Houston, TX. Bob traveled the world building the business, partnering with the largest national oil companies in the world.
During this time in the Bay Area Bob and Cheryl would continue to travel, visiting their sons' families in Los Angeles and Austin and then Toronto, London and Boulder, but also traveling the world with friends, never losing sight of adventure and curiosity. Bob and Cheryl would often include the whole family in these adventures. A trip to Greece brought together the entire family and friends from their former lives in Saudi Arabia. The grandsons would love hopping in a rented van and traveling for a weekend visit to Yosemite or Big Sur, or just a day trip to see the Redwoods. During the many hikes that ensued, Bob showed them nature through his eyes, and influenced their love of the outdoors. It is during this time that he shared his insights about life and the world, inciting conversation and lighthearted banter with his family.
Bob will be sorely missed. He was a husband, a Dad, a grandfather, a best friend, a mentor and so much more. He left a mark in this world that will forever live within those who knew and loved him. Bob is survived by his wife Cheryl, sons Chris (Lynne), their son Cooper in London, UK and Brian (Christina), their sons Adam and Ethan in Boulder, Colorado, his brother Ron (Susan) and their daughters Ashley and Danielle. He was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Vilma Toronyi, and sister, Linda. Memorial services will be private and scheduled at a future family gathering.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in Bob's name to either the Sierra Club (sierraclub.org) or Save Mount Diablo (savemountdiablo.org).