Ernest Benjamin "Toby" Quinn Jr.

Our beloved Toby was born in Nashville, TN on September 19, 1934, and died in St. Thomas West on January 3, 2026, at the age of 91. Toby is preceded in death by his parents, Ernest B. Quinn and Alice S. Quinn, and his sister, Ameila (Roland) Johnson. He is survived by his devoted wife whom he only referred to as “Love.” Her real name is Martha Ellen Quinn. Other survivors include a daughter, Gina E. Quinn and her children, Brittany Pauls (Caleb), and Connor Benjamin Owens. At birth, Brittany’s Poppie wanted her named after him, so she has always been “Ernestine, Poppie’s girl”. When Connor Benjamin Owens came along, he was given Poppie’s middle name. Poppie and Nana took those two grandchildren to every state as they travelled in a motor home and then travelled abroad as well. Toby’s philosophy was to “go while you can as you never know when the opportunity will be taken from you.” Other survivors include sons, Ernest B. “Benny” Quinn III (Lori), Jeffrey S. Quinn (Cindy) and their 3 children, Andrew, Matthew, and Hannah; and David T. Malone; and daughter, Janice Goodwin. He is also survived by a niece and two nephews.

Toby attended West End High School. He earned a B.A. degree from Lipscomb University in 1959 as a Bible and Speech major. Toby has a long string of accomplishments, but his decision to become a Christian at an early age and go on to serve his Master in the ministry for over 30 years was considered his greatest. Evangelism has always been at his heart and soul. He was instrumental in establishing a bus ministry for inner city children and their families. He conducted numerous workshops all cross the country on Evangelism. In addition to Nashville, Toby cherished and remained close to his brothers and sisters in the East Tallassee Church of Christ in Alabama and in Glasgow, KY. In the late 70’s, toby acquired his real estate and broker’s license and managed the Green Hills office of the largest real estate company in Nashville at the time, Dobson and Johnson. He was also successful as a financial manager in the A. L. Williams Company. His two biggest professional loves were Bible and Business. Most recently in his life, he has accepted a huge investment in the well-being of the mission work of the church of Christ in Cuba which will continue as part of his legacy. On the light side, Toby never met a stranger, loved people; he even carried on conversations with people who called the “wrong number” on the phone. He loved the telephone and would go down his list of contacts to check on his friends to make sure they were okay. Without fail, he told his “Love” that he loved her several times a day. There is an image of Toby in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Great Stone Face that goes like this: “The years hurried onward treading in their haste on one another’s heels. And now they began to bring white hairs, and scatter them over the head of Ernest; they made revered wrinkles across his forehead, and furrows in his cheeks. He was an aged man. But not in vain had he grown old; more than the white hairs on his head were the sage thoughts in his mind; his wrinkles and furrows were inscriptions that Time had graved, and in which he had written legends of wisdom that had been tested by the tenor of life.”

Funeral arrangements are with Harpeth Hills Funeral Home at 9090 Highway 100. Visitation will be on Wednesday, January 7th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm and a Celebration of Life will be on Thursday, January 8th at 1:30pm with Dr. Mark Crowell officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Toby’s honor to Second Harvest Food Bank or St. Jude’s Children Hospital.