George William Tonkin

Our father, GW “Bill” Tonkin died at age 97, on November 16, 2024. He was born at the home of his maternal grandparents in Cambridge, Idaho on September 5, 1927. He was the first child and only son of George Edward Tonkin and Gertrude Craddock Tonkin. Dad was a fourth generation Idahoan. His paternal great grandfather, John Tonkin, immigrated from Cornwall, Wales in the early 1860’s via California to Rocky Bar to work as a miner. John’s home still exists at the corner of 12th and Fort Streets. Dad was raised on the Boise West Bench (Mtn View Dr) and attended Cole School, Boise Junior High and Boise High Schools graduating in 1945. Following graduation, he joined the U.S. Maritime Service and after training on Catalina Island, California served as a troopship crew member out of San Fransico sailing to the Far East. In early 1946, he was inducted into the Army where he served at Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Lawton, Washington. After discharge from the Army in 1947, Dad attended Boise Junior College for one year and then transferred to the University of Washington, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and graduated in 1951, courtesy of the GI Bill. The Korean “Conflict” began during his junior year at the UW, and to avoid the possibility of the interruption of his education, he joined the senior ROTC program. This obligated him to serve in the Army following graduation where he was assigned to the Army Audit Agency out of EUCOM headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany, until his discharge in 1953.

Dad married Ilene Jensen of Boise on December 28, 1956. They raised two sons and three daughters, involving all of us in an active life from early age in hiking, backpacking, fishing, skiing, scouting (Boys and Girls), and YMCA Indian Guides and Princesses. This upbringing gave us a deep appreciation of the outdoors Idaho has to offer. Our dad and mom had a wonderful life together until Mom’s passing on June 26, 1994, from metastatic breast cancer.

In July 1970, Dad along with friends Bill Bach and Flip Kleffner, took the scouts from Cole School’s Troop 40 on a 10- day 50-mile hike across the Idaho Primitive Area from the Big Horn Crags to the Big Creek Ranger Station. Two years later, as Troop Committee Chairman/Assistant Scoutmaster of Meridian’s Troop 1, Dad and his brother-in-law, Marvin Jensen, took those scouts on the same hike. Dad loved the outdoors and backpacked in most of the mountains of Idaho from the Owyhee’s in the South to the Selkirks in the North. 

Dad received his license as a Certified Public Accountant in 1954, and was engaged in public practice for 45 years beginning with the Boise firm of Middleton, Learned & Smith in 1953, eight years with Ernest & Ernst, and retiring in 1997, with the firm of Gunther, Tonkin & Company.

Dad was a member of the American Institute of CPAs for 60 year and served twice on its governing council and as a member of several national committees. He was President of the Idaho Society of CPAs in 1972-1973, and member and later Chairman of the Idaho State Board of Accountancy from 1986 – 1991. Dad served the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as Director for the Mountain States for two years and Director at Large for three years. His civic participation included Junior Achievement of Boise, Inc. where he served as a company advisor, then volunteer executive director and later Chairman of the Board of Directors (1957-1964); the Ada County Emergency Medical Services District as a charter member of its Advisory Board for 12 years; Booth Memorial Home Advisory Council member for 10 years and recipient of the Salvation Army’s Others Award in 1978; vice-chair of the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights Committee for the State of Idaho 1992-1993; Boise State University School of Accounting as an adjunct instructor 1969-1972 and 1975-1976) and member of its advisory board 1977-1992); and the Gem State Kiwanis Club as past president and charter member for over 40 years. He was a member of the Boise YMCA for more than 30 years and always enjoyed participating in the annual Barber to Boise 10K Fun Run. 

The 50-year reunion of Dad’s Boise High School class brought a new joy into Dad’s life with the re-acquaintance of a widowed classmate and former friend and neighbor, Barbara Smith Mattison, who was living in Florence, OR. Two years later they were married and over the years following a busy life together dividing their time between Boise and Florence with trips to several countries in Europe, Hawaii, throughout the West, New England and into Alaska and Canada. Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in early 2012, which along with the onset of heart problems for both, was followed by the sale of the Florence house and a halt to travel. As Barbara’s condition regressed, Dad took on the responsibilities of caregiver, until they both entered into assisted living and memory care at Paramount Parks in Eagle, ID. Dad loved his children deeply and was especially grateful and appreciative of their companionship and support throughout his life. 

Dad is survived by Barbara and his children, all of Boise: Don Tonkin, Mary Holleron (Mark), George Tonkin, Teresa Hoyer, and Katie New (Brad); by grandchildren Shelby Felty (Chris), Shawna Vaage (Jorgen), Erika Brady (Cory), Sarah and Alli Holleron, Matthew Thompson, Amber Tonkin. Also, great grandchildren Sydney Ransom, Malcolm Holleron, Jorgen Vaage. He is also survived by Barbara’s children, Brad Mattison, Mark Mattison and Marta McCracken (Mel). Also surviving are Dad’s sister Avlin Cripps and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, wife Ilene; sister and brother-in-law Marilyn and Dean Fairchild; brother in-law and sister in-law Marvin and Wilma Jensen; brother in-law Paul Cripps; great grandson Austin Ransom, son-in-law Rick Hoyer; and cousins Richard Quivey and Carolyn McEntee. At Dad’s request his remains will be cremated and, following a private family burial, the ashes placed on the joint gravesite with his first wife and spread in the Sawtooth Mountains. He had previously asked that his 90th birthday party in 2017 would be in lieu of any subsequent memorial service. However, our family will host a celebration of life on Friday, November 29, at 10:00 am at Alden Waggoner Funeral Chapel. A reception will follow at Cloverdale Funeral Home.

Our family would like to thank the staff at Paramount Parks for their dedicated compassion and care of Dad. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Boise Family YMCA.