Richard Lee Todd, born May 4, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, resident of Santa Barbara County, California for the last 34 years, passed away January 12, 2015 in Santa Barbara at the age of 69. He is survived by his spouse, Katharina Todd, their daughter, Elizabeth Wright, a son and daughter from a previous marriage, Michael, Ginger and step-daughter Tammy, as well as a younger sister, Patricia Tiffany, four older brothers, Ralph, George, Robert and James Todd and their families.
Richard grew up in Redondo Beach, California, attending Aviation High School. He enlisted in the Navy for three years on May 14, 1962, serving in VP-4 from Feb 1963 to Mar 1965 as an Airman working in Power Plants. His tour took him to Washington, Hawaii and Okinawa.
Richard’s civilian life in California included working for two different telephone companies as an installer, ten years as Assistant Ground Crew Chief of Goodyear Airship Operations (the “Blimp”) in Carson, and twenty years as an Assistant Manager for his oldest brother Ralph’s plumbing business, Todd Pipe & Supply in Buellton.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, January 17, at Loper Funeral Chapel with Military Funeral Honors rendered at the graveside at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard. Family and friends gathered at the Mendenhall Museum afterwards in Buellton.
Residing in Solvang, California, for the last 33 years, Richard loved fishing, gardening, genealogy, poetry and tinkering with old radios and clocks. Above all else he loved his family and made it his life’s mission to make sure they were happy. His sense of humor and his unconditional willingness to help others will be sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donations can be made to Richard’s favorite charity, Camp del Corazon (campdelcorazon.org) (818-754-0312).
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newspress/obituary.aspx?pid=173862090
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Larry Hames
VP-4 1975 – 1978
VP-4 Veterans Assn Database Manager
database@vp4association.com
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