Ernest Peter Toombs, 81, of Framingham, and former longtime resident of Wayland, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Feb. 22 at the Tufts Medical Center in Boston, following a lengthy illness. He was born in Waltham, the son of the late Leonard Edmund Toombs and Anna E (Donovan) Toombs.
Peter was the beloved husband for 57 years of Lois M. (Ponte) Toombs; devoted father of Justin Toombs and his wife Hope, and Melanie Laskowski and her husband Chris; cherished grandfather of Bryan Laskowski and Meredyth Laskowski, and Finley Toombs and Brogan Toombs; brother of Janet Stephen and brother-in-law of Mary Toombs of Tewksbury. He was the brother of the late Constance O’Brien, Leonard E. Toombs, Jr and Daniel Toombs.
Peter spent his formative years in Watertown and graduated from the University of Massachusetts. He served his country during the Vietnam conflict and remained with the U.S. Army Reserve until 1971. He was a 38-year member of the American Legion Post 133 of Wayland. He served as a Commander and a Judge Advocate and participated in the annual Memorial Day parade with his fellow veterans.
He served on the board of directors with the Comets youth hockey program in Natick, was a past president of The Three Seasons Water Ski Club on Lake Cochituate and also served as a past president for the Wayland Boosters Association. He also served Wayland as an election worker at the polls.
His family kindly suggests that gifts in Peter’s memory may be made to a local veterans’ association.
Army veteran Ernest Peter Toombs
Latest from Blog
2026 election: little competition but high stakes
Across MetroWest, many local offices still draw only as many candidates as seats, with Sudbury’s 2026 ballot offering the clearest case: 11 positions, 11 candidates, and no contested races since 2005. But
Community rollout of school changes raises questions
The public got a peek at possible new school buildings or renovations derived from the ongoing facilities planning project at a March 4 community meeting in the lecture hall at Wayland High
Faced with high taxes, town mulls ways to boost growth
When discussing the fact that a small percentage of property owners in town pay a majority of the taxes collected, Finance Director Brian Keveny pointed to little new growth and budget cuts.“Like
Groups pool their resources to cover graffiti with art
Like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes to symbolize rebirth and resilience, a group of community leaders hopes for the same for an area of town that has seen its share
Claypit students dip their toes in journalism waters
brad.spiegel@waylandpost.org Is the next Joseph Pulitzer, Bob Woodward, or Grantland Rice in our midst? Honestly, we won’t know that for quite some time.There are, however, four friends at Claypit Hill Elementary School
Articles on Town Meeting scheduling, green burial, house numbers, solicitation, legal notices, crypto machines
From now until shortly before the start of Annual Town Meeting on May 4, the Wayland Post will publish batches of warrant article summaries. For more information, see the page numbers given
LIT assembly aims to unite Wayland High community
“Whose house? Our house!” chanted jamele adams, poet and educator, along with Wayland High School scholars.This back-and-forth refrain, along with music and laughter, reverberated from the auditorium on March 5 and kicked
Donations heartening, but more contributors needed
The Wayland Post’s donor records from its first year of operation reveal a clear pattern familiar to many nonprofit startups: a powerful launch surge, a stabilizing base of recurring supporters, and a
What you may not know about the METCO program
The Wayland graduation rate for the Metropolitan Council for Education Opportunity (METCO) students is around 98%, according to Wayland METCO Director La Toya Rivers. Those numbers are slightly higher than the METCO
Board of Assessors mulls proposal for senior tax relief
Board of Assessors Chair Steve Klitgord briefed members on March 2 regarding a proposal developed through the town’s senior tax relief committee. The committee has been exploring ways to make it more