Matthias Matth. Toebben

Respected Northern Kentucky Home Builder,
Founder of Toebben Companies,
Passes Away At 95
Matthias “Matth.” Toebben, of Villa Hills KY, passed away peacefully on
August 3, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Matth. was born on May
16, 1931 in Lorup, Germany to Anna and Rudolph Többen. He had 8
siblings, including a twin brother and was preceded in death by his wife of
56 years, LaVerne and son-in-law Scott Marx. They were the proud parents
of 5 children: Susan Ellison, John Toebben, Diane Marx, Bill Toebben and
Elizabeth Heist.
At fourteen, Matth. moved to Borger, Germany where he studied the fine
art of woodworking. His outstanding craftsmanship would become a
trademark throughout his years of homebuilding. After studying as an apprentice carpenter, he journeyed to America with ten dollars in his pocket and unable to understand a word of English.  Matth. was sponsored by builder, George Kreutzjans, with whom he worked as a carpenter on new homes in Ft. Wright KY until starting what is now Toebben Companies – the 5th largest commercial real-estate owner/developer in Greater Cincinnati and builder of nearly one thousand luxury estate homes in the region. He found the United States to be a land of
immense opportunity for anyone ambitious enough to work hard and make his dream a reality.  His strong German accent, or as he referred to his “southern accent”, always made him an unforgettable presence but never swayed him from success.
Matth. had a passion for quality education and found immense joy in providing education scholarships for those in need throughout the community. One of his notable contributions was the creation of “The Toebben House” on the Holy Cross campus, which houses the academic enhancement program for students needing assistance. Also notable is the Matth. and LaVerne Toebben Scholarship at Thomas More University. His generosity also included Gateway Community and Technical College, Springer School Scholarship, Covington Catholic High School Scholarship, St. Henry Scholarship, Redwood Rehabilitation Center, New Perceptions, Welcome
House of N. KY and Interfaith Hospitality Network.
His legacy continues with the 3rd generation of family members (grandsons Jacob, Zachary and Nick Toebben) now joining his sons, Bill and John, in the company.
Matth. was a true entrepreneur – from luxury home building, commercial real-estate
development, residential land development to coal mining, natural gas and electric (Stand Energy Corp.), assisted living facilities (Highland Crossing) and numerous other business startups throughout his long career.
Matth. served as president of the Home Builders Association for numerous terms, board member of Chamber of Commerce, received an honorary degree from Thomas More University, and recipient of the Northern Kentuckian of the Year award in 2008.
Matth. followed his passion for farming by raising his prized Black Angus cattle herd. Triple T Ranch produced numerous top North American breeder winners in the Black Angus program. He was awarded Best Cattle Breeder Award for the US by the National Cattle Breeders Association.
Several years ago, with the help of T. Milton Mayer, he embarked on writing his autobiography called “The Immigrant” which is now a top seller on Amazon and required reading in several schools. His legacy of struggle and accomplishments was beautifully captured and was one of his proudest achievements.
Matth. was a renowned Republican political figure in the community and beyond and often pushed for fair government practices and changes in legislation.
He is survived by longtime companion Pat Runge, his children Susan Ellison, John Toebben (Dana), Diane Marx, Bill Toebben (Judy), Elizabeth Heist (Tom), his sisters Agnes Wessels and Tekla Rieken, 18 Grandchildren and 31 Great Grandchildren.

Visitation Sunday August 9 from 4-7 PM at Linnemann Funeral Home, 1940 Burlington Pike, Burlington KY 41048

Funeral Mass Monday August 10 at 10:00am at St. Joseph Church, 2474 Lorraine Ct. Crescent Springs, KY 41017
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Holy Cross High School Academic Enhancement Program (AEP), 3617 Church Street Covington, KY 41015