Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 3-12-21

Feature
Son Of Sentinel Board Member Dies Following Illness
IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Reverend Eric Lawrence Tok- ley died on March 3, 2021, following a battle with COVID-19. He had bat- tled the deadly disease for three weeks before he suffered a heart at- tack.
Rev. Tokley wore several hats during his 47 years of life. He was a police officer for nearly 24 years with the Philadelphia Police Department, and served as the minister, a musi- cian, a husband, and father.
He was a native of Philadelphia, and the youngest of two sons born to James Tokley and Mrs. Ikelyn Tokley. He was educated in the Philadelphia School System and played football at Lincoln High School.
As a child, he grew up at Morris Brown AME Church. At the age of 15, Rev. Tokley, known as “Minister Toke,” became the co-founder, pri-
member of the Philadelphia Police Department. He would have cele- brated his 24th year of service on March 10, 2021.
Rev. Tokley became stricken
with the COVID-19 Virus and was ad-
mitted to the hospital on February 11th.
Rev. Tokley is survived by: his wife, Mrs. Octavia M. Tokley; 3 children, Tamaira, Xavier, and Amethyst; parents, Ikelyn Tokley, and James (Joanna) Tokley, sib-
lings, other family members, his church family, the community, and other relatives and friends.
Funeral Services for Rev. Tokley will take place on Thursday, March 11th, at 11 a.m., at Calvary Baptist Church, in Philadelphia, PA. Wood Funeral Home, 5537 West Girard Av- enue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, is in charge of handling arrangements.
The funeral will also be live streamed and available for viewing at YouTube CDC Ministries.
REVEREND ERIN TOKLEY 12/20’1973 --- 3/3/2021
mary writer, and one of the lead singers of a gospel recording group.
He served as a minister at Calvary Baptist Church in the 12th District, where he also worked as a police offi-
cer.In 1997, Rev. Tokley became a
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 9-A