Page 9 - AUGUST2023

August 2023
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Page 9
Community
their many books filled with life lessons for children and adults alike. Much of the wall space is decorated with thousands of pic- tures, especially of children, many posing with Diane. Some skeptics might write off the “Diane thing” as a successful marketing device. Just take it from someone who has grown to know the twins well; the love the twins feel for Diane is real, and their smiles for those who enter the store are genuine. They are expressions that come easily from two men who feel deeply that their lives have been filled with good fortune. Speaking of fortune, I am mindful that Jim, Brad, and Diane are a treasure to all their friends in Bristol, the Newfound region, and beyond.
PART II
continued from page 8
Brad and Jim led a privi- leged childhood growing up in a beautiful home enriched by their mom’s aesthetic sense and nurtured by her expressive love and that of their dad, Bob Ton- ner. Their father was a leading figure in the community, and although his presence could be commanding, he was known for his generosity and concern for those who struggled. He was a decorated WWII veteran and re- vered as a heroic figure. As young children, Brad and Jim attended Lakeside School in Braintree. In kindergarten, Brad revealed a future skill as he frequently drew pictures. (His favorite subject was President Kennedy’s inaugural top hat. )
The twins were enthusiastic students and loved their teach- ers. To nurture their individual-
ity, they were tracked in separate classes. The only disruption to this opportune trajectory was Jim’s middle school (junior high) affliction of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Even this painful expe- rience had its upside as it brought Diane the Turtle into the boys’ lives. In high school, the twins were popular “wamps.” (A name derived from the high school mascot.) By graduation, Jim’s academic orientation leaned to- wards the sciences. Brad had de- veloped an interest and talent in the visual arts.
Indicative of the individuality of their persons, the twins chose to go to very different schools of “higher” learning. Brad chose Marietta College, a small college in Ohio near the West Virginia border, settled in the beauty of the Appalachian Plateau. Jim chose Boston University, a huge institution with a campus stretch- ing between the Charles River and Commonwealth Avenue in
metropolitan Boston. After grad- uation, Jim and Brad worked for several years in the employ of others, but reflecting on their complementary talents longed to start a business of their own.
A seminal event in the twin’s life story took place in 1987. Brad and Jim trying to get some rest in their Burlington Mass apartment, were distracted by a noisy party in the unit across from theirs. Jim went out in the hall, determined to try to restore quiet. He knocked on the door of the offending unit. A young woman greeted him. Jim was smitten. Her name was Kelly Nolan. They married two years later. Jim’s optimistic, outgoing partner would soon be the twins’ most important support for their business venture. More impor-
tantly, she would provide a nexus for their family life. Brad and the twins’ sister, Suzanne, embraced Kelly as a beloved sibling. Kelly died of illness in 2000, a young woman, 39 years old. Jim and Brad do not look back at what must surely have been a dispirit- ing event with bitterness. Grief has become gratitude for the wonderful gift of time shared with Kelly. As they express through the narrative in their latest book, The Journey, some “may have to leave you early, but they will always re- main with you in your memories.”
Bristol has been home to the twins and Diane since 2012. The Twin Designs gift shop is over- flowing with area memorabilia and artifacts with designs by Brad Tonner. It has a table that displays
Gemstone & Glass Beads • Sterling & Gold-filled Findings Mineral Specimens • Books • Tumbled Stones • Fossils Smudging Wands • Incense • Stone & Sterling Jewelry Crystals • Open Year Round
Hebron Historical Society
The Hebron Historical Society invites you to join us for a talk by John C. Porter, author and farm management agent, and his presentation "The History of Agriculture as Told by Barns", some of which will are located in Hebron. He will be featured at the Red Barn , 41 North Shore Road, Hebron, NH on Friday, August 18 at 7:00 pm, followed by refreshments. Please bring a chair.
Open for the Season!
WED. - SAT. 8 AM - 4 PM | SUN. 8 AM - 12 PM
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Tues-Sat: 10-5, Sunday: 10-4 nstargems@metrocast.net Rt. 3-A, Bridgewater
603-744-6338
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Annual Fetilizer Program
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