SNEADS FERRY – He had served four tours of duty in the highly volatile areas of Afghanistan and Iraq, but yet died on American soil.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Michael Andrew Tooley, age 28 of Sunbury in Gates County, lost his life in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 16 while walking along a stretch of Old Folkstone Road near N.C. Highway 210 in Sneads Ferry (Onslow County).

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said Tooley died at the scene after being struck by a vehicle. The driver of that vehicle left the scene and failed to report the accident. Law enforcement authorities in Onslow County have no clues to who was responsible for his death.

The Highway Patrol reports that the vehicle was traveling east on Old Folkstone Road at 2:55 a.m. At that time, Tooley was walking west.

Sgt. Tooley was a Drill Instructor with the United States Marines. A spokesperson at the Marine base at Camp Lejeune said Tooley was only a week short of graduation from a combat engineer course and was planning to return to his unit at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California.

Sneads Ferry is located across the New River from Camp Lejeune.

The Highway Patrol continues its investigation into the hit-and-run accident.

Meanwhile, funeral services for Sgt. Tooley, a native of Suffolk, VA, are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, July 25 at Parr Funeral Home & Crematory in Suffolk. Burial will follow with full military honors at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, also in Suffolk.

Friends may join the family for a time of visitation Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home and other times at the residence of his parents.

Tooley – the son of James Alvin Tooley and Lea Anne Cartwright Tooley – was a member of Calvary Baptist Missionary Church. His hobbies were hunting and fishing.

Along with his parents, he is survived by his wife, Tiffany D. Tooley; grandparents, Lawrence and Christine Tooley; sisters, Angela Morgan and Rachel Belden; brothers, Billy Riggins (Debbie), Anthony Pickett (Christi) and Daniel Tooley; and numerous other family members.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Marine Corps’ “Toys for Tots” programs. Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com.