Thomas Toon, Associate Professor of English & Linguistics
1942-2026
Thomas (Tom) Toon, Associate Professor of English and Linguistics, passed away on March 29, 2026, at the age of 84.
Tom Toon taught English and Linguistics at the University of MIchigan for 47 years. He was Director of Linguistics (then a Program) for a long time, from 1986 to 1995; he was the faculty member who led Linguistics at the University of Michigan the longest since Albert Marckwardt in the 1950-60s. He was also the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Linguistics several times.
Tom graduated from Dexter High School in 1960. He then went on to Eastern Michigan University for his undergrad in Chemistry. Tom completed his PhD in English from the University of Michigan in eighteen months. He was a Professor at the University of Utah for three years before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan.
Colleagues who worked closely with Tom appreciated his kindness and generous intellect. His students often praised how much they learned from Tom and in his classes on Old English, Middle English and History of the English Language, which he taught almost every year for about 40 years. Many students greatly appreciated his enthusiasm and knowledge about historical linguistics and the history of the English Language. He was also on the Committee for the Middle English Dictionary. Tom spent part of each year living and researching in England for nineteen years. He took students from the University of Michigan to England several times as part of a summer program. He was a beloved teacher who got many students interested in English historical linguistics. Tom was a Tibetan Buddhist. He was a life-long Democrat believing in equality for all and was active in Chelsea’s LGBTQ community. He enjoyed archeology, cooking, gardening, Sudoku and watching birds on the feeder.
Tom Toon is survived by his loving husband, Anthony Shakeshaft; three children, Daniel (Rita Kusmayani) Toon of Louisiana, Edward (Tammy) Toon of California, and Nadia (Leon Simms) Boukra of England; grandchildren, Gabrielle Anderson, Theia Toon, and Noella Simms; and several nieces and nephews.
Here is Tom Toon's obituary, which was a main source for this in memoriam:
https://www.colefuneralchapel.com/index.php/obituaries/1690-thomas-toon
