Charles Byron Toney, age 88, of Lavonia, Georgia, died peacefully at home on July 28, 2025. Byron was born September 18, 1936 on the family farm in Carnesville, Georgia, the youngest of six children – one girl and five boys. His parents were Charles Luther Toney and Janna Blanche Casey Toney. After he attended elementary school in Carnesville, the family moved to Lavonia, where he would graduate from Lavonia High School in 1954. During his time at LHS, he was a standout football and basketball player and was voted Best Looking by his classmates. He enjoyed the company of many of his female classmates, but ultimately met the love of his life, Diane Haley, who would become his wife of 65 years.

Throughout high school and for a year after graduating high school he worked as a meat cutter at Brock's Grocery Store in Lavonia. He then followed the lead of his brothers, who all served in the military, and enlisted in the United States Air Force. He was sent to Kesler AFB in Mississippi for basic training, where he excelled on a transcription competency test and received a security clearance, leading to a post at his duty station in Bremerhaven, Germany, near the North Sea. His assignment was to listen to Russian military coded messages that had been intercepted and translated, transcribing them for USAF codebreakers to study. He was a veteran of the Cold War and proud of it.

After serving his country for four years, he returned to the States and drove to see Diane. In the driveway, he met her father, George, who simply said, "Hello, Byron," as he carried the trashcan to the street for pickup. He soon proposed, and he and Diane were married at the Methodist Church in Lavonia on April 20, 1960. They lived briefly in Atlanta before settling in Winder, Georgia, where she taught high school English and he classes at the University of Georgia for two years before he was hired as a salesman for Barrow Manufacturing Company. His career would take him to Danville, Kentucky and Birmingham, Alabama, before they decided to return to Lavonia and open a clothing store called the WearHouse, which they operated for several years. He then began a long tenure in operations with Bulldog Trucking Company and Adams Motor Express – and promptly took on three part-time jobs at Ron's Flower Shop, Strickland Funeral Home, and Harbin Lumber Company.

Byron was one of those people on whom strong communities are built, in whom the people of his community placed trust, and on whom they depended. He modeled civic and social responsibility for his children, serving as an usher at his church for decades and as chair of the Administrative Council and Board of Trustees; as a referee for high school, recreation league, and church league football and basketball for 35 years; as the organizer and leader of a Merchant's Association; and as one of the people whom his neighbors knew could be called on for a need at any time. He did these things quietly and with love; he did them because they were the right thing to do.

Having grown up in a large and gregarious (even boisterous) family, he reveled in time with his brothers and sisters and their children. "Toney Christmas" was a highlight of every year, a time when he and the siblings who lived close by gathered with their families to celebrate the season and their love for each other. They revered their mother and made her the focus of this special time. His six grandchildren – three boys and three girls, who called him Poppy – were the delight of his later years. He lived long enough to welcome two great-grandchildren into the fold.

Survivors include his wife, Diane Haley Toney; a son, Chuck Toney (Laura) and a daughter, Martha Toney Long (Dennis); six grandchildren – Isaac Toney-Schmitt (Christina), John Toney (Kelly), Will Toney, Haley Sue Long Williams (Allen), Lucy Long Boggs (Joseph), and C'Lee Long (Thomas Johnson); a great-grandson, Theo Toney, and a great-granddaughter, Quinn Toney-Schmitt; and several nieces and nephews.

Strickland Funeral Home in Lavonia is in charge of arrangements. The family will receive visitors from 6-8 pm at the funeral home Thursday evening, July 31. A funeral service will be held at Lavonia First United Methodist Church on August 1 at 4 pm, with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall. A private graveside service will be conducted at the Lavonia City Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to Lavonia First United Methodist Church.