Obituary: About Ted Todd's life

You can open or download the following text as a PDF file. Kathy, Gary, and Sheryl wrote this obit. Lois and her daughters wrote another one, which I'll try to find. We sent the unpublished obituary on this page to the Heritage Room of the Corona Public Library. The note said, "I am enclosing an obituary for my father, Theodore Jameson (Ted) Todd. It was written by my sister, brother, and myself. As it turned out, it was too long to publish in the Press-Enterprise, but since it contains information about his own and his ancestors' history with Corona (his ancestors were town founders and he was instrumental in local agriculture), we hope you will file it with the Heritage Room archives. He was a resident of Corona for about 64 years."


Theodore J. Todd
January 11, 1923 - March 14, 2003

Theodore Jameson (Ted) Todd, 80, of Prescott, Arizona, died March 14 at the Veterans Administration Hospice Center after a long battle with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and Lewy Bodies.

Ted was born January 11, 1923, in San Francisco, California, the second of four children of Clement Joseph Todd and Bernice Jameson Todd, long-time residents of Corona, California. He spent most of his youth in Corona, which his grandparents and great-grandparents, the Jamesons and Joys, helped found in the 1880s. Ted’s parents continued to be prominent in the life and growth of the community.

Ted attended Corona Junior High and High Schools, and upon graduation, began studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. During World War II, he served in the US Navy in the Pacific Theater aboard the destroyer escort Downs. In 1946, he married Elizabeth Louise Versteeg of Los Angeles, with whom he had three children. He graduated from UCLA’s School of Agriculture in subtropical horticulture in 1948. After college, he assumed management of Todd Ranch Company, a family citrus and avocado business in Corona. Ted remained President of Todd Ranch Company until 2002. In 1979, he married Lois Madden of Goleta, California, and in 1993, they moved to Prescott, where they joined the Prescott United Methodist Church. During their retirement they enjoyed travelling and church and social activities.

Throughout his life, Ted was active in church and community affairs. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Corona, established by his grandparents and great-grandparents. He served on numerous committees and boards at local and state level, receiving many awards and commendations for his work. He was loved by family and friends, and respected in all aspects of his professional life. Hunting and fishing were among his favorite pastimes.

Ted believed in the importance of community service. This prompted him to become President of the Corona Parent-Teachers’ Association. He was a long-standing member of the Corona Lions Club, and served on the boards of the Temescal and Corona Water Companies. He was honored by the California Avocado Association (CALAVO), on whose board he served as Chairman for over 20 years, and received an award for "outstanding service to agriculture and industry as Chairman and member of the Industrial Welfare Commission" of the State of California, to which he had been appointed by Governor Ronald Reagan and again by Governor Jerry Brown. Other professional organizations Ted was involved with included Valley Fig Growers and the Avocado Society.

Ted’s practical optimism, sense of humor and adventure, honesty, kindness, dedication to responsibility and spiritual values, attention to family, creative problem-solving, and willingness to take on the challenges of hard work, made him a welcome part of the many endeavors to which he devoted himself throughout his full life.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Lois Madden Todd of Prescott; three children, a daughter, Sheryl Elizabeth Todd of Astoria, Oregon; a daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen Todd Rodriguez and Frederick Ruddy Rodriguez of Corona, California; and a son and daughter-in-law, Gary Theodore Todd and Bethany Ann Todd of Cottage Grove, Oregon; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Bernice Todd Morris and James Piers Morris of Anacortes, Washington; and Helen Todd Hewitt and Charles Edward Hewitt of Santa Monica, California; sister-in-law, Rosina Lee Todd of Golden, Colorado; five grandchildren, Karen Rodriguez Williams of Corona; Jacob Frederick Rodriguez of Riverside, California; David Joseph Rodriguez of Corona; Kristene Todd Maddux of Mulketeo, Washington; and Eric Steven Todd of Springfield, Oregon; three great-grandchildren; and ten nieces and nephews. His brother, Clement Jameson Todd of Golden, Colorado, passed away March 14, 1998.

Services for Ted were held March 18 at the United Methodist Church in Prescott. His ashes will be placed at the church, and a plaque will be added to the family plot at Sunnyslope Cemetery in Corona.