DELAND--Born in the very small town of Dunlap, Tenn., and raised until kindergarten age in Borneo, Indonesia, Daryl Tol was brought up surrounded by role models who approached life with a servant's heart.

 

After living overseas with his missionary parents, Bill Tol, a pastor, and Carol, a nurse, and his older sister, Darla, the family returned to the United States in time for Tol's school-age years in the spectacular Northern California coastline city of Eureka. Located 280 miles north of San Francisco, Humboldt Bay borders the city on one side; mountains brimming with giant redwoods border the other. "The first years in Indonesia stick out substantially," said Tol, president and CEO of Florida Hospital DeLand. "I suppose first memories are always important, but the level of routine, daily difficulties faced by people there, compared with what we characterize as 'difficult' here in the United States, has been a lasting learning."

 

Tol grew up immersed in community church activities and inundated with his mom's nursing stories.

 

"(Mom) was a home health nurse for years and would become very close to her patients," he recalled. "I remember visiting many of them as she would develop a personal connection with each. I appreciated the emphasis my parents put on meaningful work versus work for a paycheck. Both worked hard, but had very satisfying careers that made a difference to the people they worked with. I remember my folks routinely sending me on my way each day with the reminder to 'make it a good day,' rather than the more passive 'have a good day.' That important difference has stuck with me."

 

Several clues to Tol's life path were revealed during his teen years. In high school, his peers elected him senior class president. And he made two important lifelong connections.

 

"I met my wife in high school," Tol explained. "Her dad was (and is) a hospital administrator. He and I had many opportunities to talk about healthcare leadership as a career field. That time watching his work and his enjoyment of it helped me make up my mind."

 

Tol earned a business administration degree with a focus in accounting and finance from Walla Walla University in College Place, Wash., where he was elected president of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) chapter. He then earned a master's degree in healthcare administration from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif.  

 

After leaving the California coast, Tol headed to Portland, Ore., where he began his healthcare administrator service at Portland Adventist Medical Center in 1998. In 2000, he began serving in progressive leadership positions with Florida Hospital Memorial Systems, Florida Hospital Flagler, and ultimately joined Florida Hospital DeLand in 2006.

 

Tol and his wife, Stacey, and their three children—Caleb, 9, and seven-year-old identical twins Eve and Emma—reside with their beloved dog and two mischievous cats in DeLand, where they are highly visible in community organizations and church events.

 

"One of the biggest challenges in our life was surrounding our twins," said Tol. "They almost didn't survive. Stacey was in the hospital for 10 weeks, then the twins made it only to discover that Emma had a heart defect and needed open heart surgery at two months old. All is well now, but we did come out of the experience with increased faith and a different perspective on the healthcare system."

 

The Tols have plenty of familial support. Tol's parents followed his family to Florida and settled in Ormond Beach; his sister and her husband relocated to Daytona Beach.

 

In 2008, Tol, who runs five miles daily and has participated in a few 5K and 10K runs, chaired the American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk in Volusia/Flagler counties. He serves on other local community boards, including the DeLand Area YMCA, DeLand Chamber of Commerce, DeLand Rotary Club, and Main Street DeLand Association.

 

A pianist for fun, Tol also plays a unique instrument that few schoolchildren select to learn because of its size and complexity: the French horn. He modestly admits to playing "neither very well." He enjoys trying out seasonings and stirring up dishes for the family, and is in the midst of learning Spanish. It's a slow process, he emphasized.