College student from dies after collapsing during half marathon
By Kristen Powers, Nick Matoney
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ERIE, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — A native of Kittanning, Armstrong County, has died after collapsing during a half marathon in Erie.
Toby Atwood, 21, died Sunday during the Presque Isle Half Marathon.
“She was, without a doubt, the best sister there was. She was all of our best friends – my brother, my mom, everyone’s best friend in our family,” Jaret Atwood said.
Toby Atwood’s older brothers, Jaret and Ogden, spoke with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 by phone on Wednesday night. Here is some of what they told us:
“She was the hardest-working, most determined person anybody would ever meet. Anybody she ever met, she left an impact on — whether it was for one day or you knew her for 21 years.”
“She was literally the glue of everything. She held everybody together. She picked everybody up when they were down. There was just a smile, and just this aura around her that when she walked into a room, it didn’t matter who you are or what you were doing. You just look, and you just smile, because she was always happy.”
“It’s such a massive hole, and it doesn’t even seem real that you don’t want to accept that because she was — we’ve been saying it the whole time, she was the best of us.”
Atwood was a student at Thiel College, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha.
The chapter shared the following statement: “Toby was a light in everyone’s life. There was never a dull moment with her and she was always there for the people she loved when they needed it. Toby truly left her mark while she was with us. She was seen as a leader, role model and mentor. She was strong, resilient, and never afraid to speak her mind. There will forever be a hole in our hearts and our chapter without her. She has touched the lives of so many.”
Thiel described Atwood as a rising senior, an accomplished member of the women’s tennis team and a campus leader.
Atwood was a member of the class of 2026.
“She left a Toby-sized hole in everybody’s heart that’s ever met her,” Atwood’s brothers said.
A viewing will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Center Hill Covenant Brethren Church in Kittanning. A funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday.
If you would like to donate to support Toby Atwood’s family, click here.
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