Matthias "Matth" Toebben, the German immigrant who turned 180 acres along Buttermilk Pike into one of Northern Kentucky's premier custom-home communities, died Aug. 3, at St. Elizabeth Hospice Center in Edgewood. He was 95.

Toebben arrived in Northern Kentucky in 1953 with $10 in his pocket, money his mother had saved from egg sales, and a wooden suitcase he'd built himself.

He spoke no English.

Within two years he had launched his own homebuilding company.

His obituary, published by the NKY Tribune, described a builder who "started with a subdivision on Amsterdam Road then moved to Country Squire Estates when Buttermilk Pike wasn't much more than a wagon trail."

That 1958 land purchase became Country Squire Estates, the flagship Toebben community where homes now range from $300,000 to more than $3 million. By 1960, the company had already built more than 40 custom homes there. In 1963, an $80,000 Dutch Colonial with five bedrooms and three baths earned a spotlight in the Cavalcade of Homes Show.

Born May 16, 1931, in Lorup, Germany, Toebben was one of 11 children. He left the family farm at 14 to study woodworking in Borger, spending six years as an apprentice carpenter. That training carried him across the Atlantic aboard the SS United States at age 21. According to the Toebben Companies history page, he accidentally boarded a train to California instead of Cincinnati before finding his way to Northern Kentucky a day late.

His first job was as a carpenter for George Kruetzjans, a Fort Wright homebuilder, earning $60 a week. Within six months he was freelancing at night.

The company grew far beyond custom homes. In the 1970s, Toebben expanded into commercial and industrial construction, eventually developing and leasing more than 800,000 square feet of office and retail space across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. He became president of his local Home Builders Association in 1965.

The business operates as three entities headquartered at 541 Buttermilk Pike in Villa Hills: Toebben Builders and Developers, Matth Toebben Construction, and Toebben Ltd. Sons John Toebben and Bill Toebben run the companies alongside Matth's grandsons. Other communities the family has developed include Redstone Village in Union and Chatham Ridge and Squire Valley in Villa Hills.

Toebben met his wife of 56 years, LaVerne, at a dance. He later joked about his "southern accent," a point of pride for a man who once spoke no English. He also wrote an autobiography, "The Immigrant," which the NKY Tribune called "a must-read for its rich history" in a January 2020 review.

Beyond building, Toebben created numerous high school and college scholarships and donated to local nonprofits. His family asks that memorial donations go to Holy Cross High School's Academic Enhancement Program, 3617 Church St., Covington, KY 41015.

He is survived by five children: Susan Ellison, John Toebben (Dana), Diane Marx, Bill Toebben (Judy) and Elizabeth Heist (Tom); his longtime companion, Pat Runge; sisters Agnes Wessels and Tekla Rieken; 18 grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren.

Visitation is Aug. 9, from 4–7 p.m. at Linnemann Funeral Home, 1940 Burlington Pike, Burlington. Mass of Christian Burial is Aug. 10, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2474 Lorraine Ct., Crescent Springs. Private burial will follow.