Nigel Toovey, president of New York duplication and standards conversion facility Devlin Videoservice, died on July 1 of bone cancer. He was 50 years old.
He had been president of Devlin since joining the company in early ’99.
Toovey had been ill for about a year. A native of Manchester, England, Toovey came to the U.S. in the early ’70s and joined Intercontinental Televideo, New York. He worked there for 20 years, eventually becoming a VP. He later served as VP of sales at Audio Plus Video International, Northvale, N.J.
Cari Davis, Devlin’s director of operations said, "He was very inspirational, a driven person. He had a real open door policy, and was so confident in his own knowledge, which was very vast. He was always sharing ideas. I really considered him a mentor of sorts, teaching me the business from a different standpoint than I knew. He really brought this company up to speed. Again, his accessibility, his willingness to share his knowledge [were part of his legacy]. He always made people feel as if they were a part of the decision-making process. He just made it fun to be in video and postproduction. He never took anything too seriously and made it seem effortless … He’s going to be greatly missed."
Sales manager Mick O’Connor agreed, "He would come in four or five hours a day when many of us in the same condition would have passed up work. … He refused pity or sympathy, preferring instead to concentrate on the day’s work. His door was always open and he was always willing to help. He provided guidance and reassurance to anyone who needed it."
Toovey is survived by his wife Irene and son Sebastian. His family requests that donations be made to The Phelps Hospice, 701 West Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. 10591, or the Rosary Hill Home, 600 Linda Ave., Hawthorne, N.Y. 10532.
