She had an affinity for children

Elia Powers

Children could tell when Toni Huston entered a room.

All they had to do was look for the unwieldy bunch of toys and

play equipment she carried in her hands. At times, it would obscure

Huston’s face.

“The kids cheered when she walked in the door,” said Sam Carney, a

friend of Huston’s. “They would yell, ‘Toni, Toni, Toni.’”

Huston earned the nickname “Mary Poppins” for her prowess with

children. She could stop them from crying. She could command

attention. And she could earn their respect.

“Her famous line was, ‘I love you very much, but you have to

follow the rules,’” said Huston’s friend, Linda Zoelle.

A Corona del Mar resident for nearly 30 years, Huston died June

11. She was 57.

Huston, born in Bakersfield, spent most of her childhood in

Hanford, Calif. She moved around the state, earning her bachelor’s

and master’s degrees at San Jose State University.

Huston knew her calling was guidance counseling. She became a

registered counselor in the early 1970s and accepted a job at

Carpinteria High School near Santa Barbara.

She moved in 1974 and took a position at an alternative high

school in Huntington Beach.

That summer, she met Robert Huston, a Newport Beach attorney.

Robert was dining at Bob Burns Restaurant at Fashion Island when the

manager took him outside to see a new section of the restaurant. Toni

had been shopping at the mall and noticed the two men.

“She came wandering up,” Robert Huston said. “I saw her there, and

I made it my business to introduce myself. We went out to dinner and

then went dancing. I was smitten right away.”

Three weeks later, Robert helped Toni find housing in Park

Newport.

“I rarely let her get out of my sight until we got married,”

Robert Huston said.

The wedding was held in December 1974, just months after the

couple had met.

Toni Huston continued her counseling duties, taking pride in

helping students learn problem-solving mechanisms.

“She was into children from the start,” Robert Huston said.

“Caring for children was always her focus. She affected a lot of

people’s lives.”

Toni Huston put her counseling career on hold in 1976, when her

son, Jim, was born. Still, she kept in touch with her former

students, many of whom called and visited her years later. Robert

Huston became enamored with children as well.

The two enjoyed getting away from time to time. They traveled to

Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta to body surf and sail.

Toni Huston stayed involved in the community, volunteering for

years at the Toshiba Senior Golf Classic and helping at a Long Beach

hospital.

A hospital bedroom is where Huston spent her final days. She

underwent major surgery and never recovered.

“We never imagined life without her,” Carney said. “She is going

to be dearly missed.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be sent to the

American Heart Assn.