A 60-year-old Midland man is being remembered for his “above and beyond” dedication to his students and his family after passing away following a motorcycle crash earlier this month.
Warren Totten, 60, was out for a motorcycle ride near his home in Midland, Ont., when he was involved in a collision with a car around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 16.
Emergency crews responded to the collision at the intersection of Simcoe Road 93 and Highway 12.
Totten passed away after being taken to a local hospital.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by provincial police.
Totten, who worked as a teacher in the Barrie area for almost 30 years, had only retired at the end of the school year in 2021.
Friend and fellow teacher Paula Urquhart says she was in disbelief when she heard from a close friend the morning after the accident.
“I think everyone in our close-knit circle was truly gutted. It was just a shock. He was living his best life, he was retired, he had lots of plans, he had daughters, he had grandchildren, and he just had so much more life to live.”
“I think everybody will know him as just a positive, loving force, which is what he was. He was just a kind, kind soul and a caring person.”
She says he was the kind of person who went out of his way to the people in his life and his students.
Urquhart remembers that he was accepting of his students and was the type of teacher who made them feel like they could do anything.
She says Totten gave each of his students a pumpkin for Halloween every year, matched all of their food donations for class food drivers, and took his class on a field trip to the movies every Christmas.
“Not everybody does that. We all try to give as much as we can, but he just would always go above and beyond.”
She even remembers one time when she was leaving late on a Wednesday and she found Totten with a group of students in the teacher’s lounge, helping them with their math homework and making them dinner.
“I popped in and asked a question, and sure enough, he had been doing this. He had arranged it with the parents. He had all these students day every Wednesday, he made them dinner out of his own pocket, and then he drove them all home,” Urquhart says.
“It was not just about academics for him; it was about creating and uplifting his students and creating better people and being an example to them.”
Born in Toronto, the 60-year-old is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren and GoFundMe has been set up to assist the family with funeral costs.
A visitation and funeral service are scheduled for Wednesday at Adams Funeral Home in Barrie, followed by a Celebration of Life.
Details on the service are available on the Adams Funeral Home website.