John Phillip Toso

  John Phillip Toso, an entrepreneur who founded Sappo Hill Soapworks, a natural soap company whose products have been manufactured and sold nationally for more than five decades, died on December 22, 2025. He was 84.

  John was known for his wide-ranging curiosity and a persistence that led him to explore his interests in depth. More than 50 years ago, he formulated a body soap under the brand name Sappo Hill, beginning its manufacture in Southern Oregon. The company, established in Ashland in 1972, continues to produce and distribute its products across the United States.

  Born in San Francisco in 1941, John was the only child of first-generation Italian parents. He spent much of his early life in Piedmont, California, where he graduated from Piedmont High School. He attended Diablo Valley College and later earned a degree from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California.

  In 1971, he married Linda Rae Mellana in Eureka, California. That same year, he moved to Southern Oregon, where several pivotal events followed: the birth of his only daughter and the founding of Sappo Hill Soapworks. In 1988, he met Nancy Weston, whom he later married; they were together for 32 years.

  In addition to his work as an entrepreneur, John was a photographer with a particular interest in historic architecture and archival documentation. Under the business name A Frame in Time, he photographed prairie churches throughout North Dakota for the North Dakota Historical Society. He also completed archival photography projects for Kramer & Company and documented buildings and dams, including work for Portland General Electric. Much of this material is preserved in the National Archives. His personal photographic subjects ranged from fellow entrepreneurs and barber shops to trains, neon signs, and historic cemeteries.

  John had a lifelong interest in history and was an avid reader, particularly of cookbooks. He enjoyed cooking for family and friends, traveling, watching baseball, and collecting stories-his own and those of others.

  He was a member of the Southern Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, the Order of the Elks in Ashland, the Society of Commercial Archeology, and Willamette Riverkeepers.

  Survivors include his wife, Nancy Weston; his daughter, Sabrina Paulson; his son-in-law, Dain Paulson; his granddaughter, Elsa Paulson; and his stepsons, Michael Weston and Rob Weston, and their respective partners.

  Interment was at Rose City Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.