Daniel Michael Toma

Daniel "Dan" Michael Toma, 94, of Columbia, died on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The service for Mr. Toma will be held at 11 o'clock, Monday, May 18th, at Bethel United Methodist Church, 4600 Daniel Drive, Columbia, with a reception to immediately follow. Burial will be in the Bethel United Methodist Churchyard. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.

Born on September 13, 1931, he was a son of the late Demeter and Mary Toma. He graduated from Leavittsburg High School in Leavittsburg, Ohio in 1949 where he excelled in baseball, track and basketball.

Following his high school graduation, he traveled by train to Sanford, Florida at age 17 to try out for the New York Giants and was signed to a professional contract where he played five years in the NY Giant organization. He made two all-star teams and led the Western Association in hitting in 1953.

He graduated from Cameron Junior College (now Cameron University) in Lawton, Oklahoma where he was a lifetime member of the Cameron Junior College Alumni Association.

Mr. Toma graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1955, BBA, where he was the outstanding management major. He was a lifetime member of the University of Oklahoma Alumni Association and a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity where he was known as Deacon Dan, because in his words, “no one likes a dirty mouth.”

Dan met and married Sarita Robertson while at OU and they shared a wonderful 72 years of marriage.

They have two children: Robert Michael (Angie Carns) and Cynthia Sue Hitchcock (Sparky Hitchcock), and two grandsons: Walter Hitchcock and Marshall Hitchcock (Amanda DiVeglio Hitchcock), two grandchildren: Hunter Rose Hitchcock and Hudson Marshall Hitchcock), various nephews and nieces as well as friends and neighbors who were considered as family members.

After college graduation, he worked in sales and marketing for Continental Oil Company in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. Dan managed bowling centers and theaters in Memphis, Tennessee and North Carolina. He was vice president of Major League Bowling Inc. in Winston-Salem , NC. He was a past president of the Tennessee Bowling Proprietors and on the board of directors of the North Carolina Bowling Proprietors. He received keys to the city in Memphis in recognition for his work with employing the handicapped. While in NC, he spoke in Washington, DC at the national meeting of the president’s committee on hiring the handicapped. In 1970 he was voted citizen of the year for his work with the handicapped while in Winston-Salem. In Columbia, he was responsible for instituting curb cuts downtown so those in wheelchairs could have access to the sidewalk.

In 1970 Dan accepted a position as vice president of the Irvin Fuller Company in Columbia managing all their theaters and bowling centers in SC and NC. He later owned Star Bowling Lanes on Assembly St.

He went into commercial real estate in 1979 with Gordon Gallup. He and Tom Jenkins formed Jenkins and Toma Commercial Realtors in 1984. In 1988 he formed his own company, Toma, Inc. He was a Lifetime Member of the Million Dollar Club and a member of the Greater Columbia Board of Realtors.

He was on the South Carolina Economic Advisory Board and traveled to Great Britain with a group headed by Governor Campbell for economic development for the state.
Dan loved sports and was an avid Oklahoma University football fan and girl’s softball. After moving to Columbia, he became an avid Gamecock fan. He played full court basketball at the YMCA at age 65. At age 44, he played baseball in a summer league with young college players and led the league in hitting with a batting average of .502.

He spent many years coaching little league baseball, basketball and American Legion Post 6 baseball.

His professional memberships include:
• Past chairman – Columbia Mayor’s Committee to Hire the Handicap
• Member of Spring Valley Rotary Club – in 2014 30 years
• Was on the Columbia, SC YMCA Board of Directors for 23 years.
• Founding member of the Capital Senior Citizens Center (The Lourie Center) where he served on the first board of directors.
• Member of USC Medical Business Partnership Board 13 years
• Member of the University of SC Allies
• Member of The Executive Club
• Gamecock Club member- in 2014 34 years
• Member of Bethel United Methodist Church where he served on numerous committees. Active member of the Holroyd Sunday School Class, Bethel United Methodist Men’s group and a past president of the Bethel United Methodist Seniors.

Memorials may be made to Bethel United Methodist Men in Columbia, SC, 4600 Daniel Drive, Columbia, SC 29206.