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Boston-Area Affordable Home Builder, Austin O'Toole, Dies
Austin F. O'Toole, a World War II veteran and pioneer builder of affordable housing in the Boston area, died Thursday, Nov. 22 in Hingham, Mass. He was 86.
In the 1950s, O'Toole and his wife, Nancy, founded the Greater Boston Builders and built more than 800 apartments, houses and condominiums in Boston and the South Shore.
He served as president of the Builders Association of Greater Boston and was a director of NAHB and the Home Builders Association of Massachusetts.
Born and raised in Dorchester, he attended Boston College until joining the Marine Corps during World War II. During the war, O'Toole served as a first lieutenant and platoon leader in the Pacific Amphibian Assault Battalion.
After the war, he completed his college education at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1947. He then went on to Columbia University in New York, where he earned a master's in business administration.
A longtime resident of Cohasset, he was an active member in his community, serving as treasurer and director of the Cohasset Council of Elder Affairs. He was a member of the Cohasset Conservation Commission for 10.
He and his wife enjoyed traveling as well as spending their winters in Naples, Fla. He also enjoyed reciting classical poems, college anthems, Latin phrases and assorted ditties.
O'Toole is survived by three daughters, Lisa Vivian, Lynn Durkin and Clover Weinstein; a son, Austin; and eight grandchildren. His wife, Nancy, died in March.
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