Joseph Tofflemire

JOSEPH SALVATORE TOFFLEMIRE, 46 Joseph Salvatore Tofflemire was born on July 7, 1965 in Torrance, California, and passed away on September 27th, 2011 in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. Joe spent his childhood in Post Falls, Idaho, raised alongside eight siblings by his parents, John and Anna. In addition to being a talented, well-rounded athlete, Joe was also a loving father, brother, son, and uncle. In 1984, he graduated from Post Falls High School, where he not only served as a three-year letterman in football, but was also a versatile enough athlete to letter three times in track and field. Joe was selected to multiple All-State football teams, and was named the Offensive Lineman of the Year after his senior season in 1983. Of course, this would prove to be just the beginning of Joe's illustrious football career. At the University of Arizona, Joe started four years at center, and was named to the All Pac-10 Conference team three of those years. He was also an All-American his junior and senior years. The winner of the Morris Trophy his final season, Joe was widely considered the most outstanding offensive lineman in the Pac-10. He was also named captain of the team and MVP his senior season. Since graduating from Arizona, Joe has been named to the Pac-10 conference "All 80's Team", and has been elected to the university's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was named to the Wildcat Stadium Ring of Honor. In 2000, he was named one of the top 100 athletes to attend the University of Arizona, and was also named to the All-Century team in addition to the Arizona All-Time, All Pac-10 First Team. After college, Joe's dream of playing professional football was realized when he was selected in the second round as the 44th player of the 1989 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He would serve seven years at center before retiring in 1995. Joe is survived by his two sons, Michael Anthony (Issaquah, WA) and John Joseph (Vancouver, BC), eight siblings in John, Anna Marie, David, Susan, Caroline, Paul, Mary, Christine, and his loving mother, Anna. For all his achievements in sports, Joe will also be remembered as a kind, warm, humble, generous, and loving person with a wonderful sense of humor as well as a gift for storytelling. Although his time was cut short, he lived an enriched life that most people could only dream about, and made an indelible impression on family, friends, fans, coaches, and former teammates who will all miss him dearly. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Post Falls Senior Center at P.O. Box 418, Post Falls, ID 83877