Robert C. Todd

Bob will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Karen (Atherton) Todd; his son, Dan (Donna); granddaughter, Kyra (Bill) Rust; daughter, Sherri (Keith) Weaver; exchange student son, Jess (Lauren) Bendixen; grandsons, Luke and August; sister-in- law, Sandy (Roy Johnston) Payne; sister-in-law, Reva (Tom) Gibbs; nephew, John (Cathy) Todd Jr.; niece, Sue (Vince) Alvera; niece, Penny (Tom) Masseau; niece, Lori Todd; nephew, Brett (Angie) Payne; and nephew, Brad (Bea Canto) Payne. He is also survived by several great and great-great nephews and nieces, as well as numerous family and friends.

Bob was preceded in death by his father (Vernie), mother (Mary), older brother John and younger sister Ella Mae Bush.

Born Bobby Casey Todd to sharecroppers in Weakley County-Gleason,Tennessee, he and his family migrated to Lansing, Michigan in 1949 for a better future. Bob worked and retired from the Lansing Board of Water and Light after 31+ years in 1993 and was a member of IBEW local 652. He married Karen on September 16, 1961 and lived in Lansing before moving to the DeWitt area in 1976. Bob deeply loved his family and friends and would give the shirt off his back if any of them were in need. Bob, Karen and family traveled back to Gleason, Tennessee once or twice a year to visit his immediate family including every one of his beloved grandmother (Maggie’s) birthdays. He was also an avid outdoorsman and loved to deer hunt and fish, especially on his week long fishing trips with family and friends each year in Ontario, Canada. He also enjoyed hunting for (and eating) morel mushrooms in the spring with his family and friends while they had a place in Mesick, Michigan. Bob also cherished his home on Cutler Road, dubbed Todd’s Little Acres, where he grew a wide variety of vegetables and had a small fruit orchard. He loved watching sports on TV including his favorites of Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee; although, he did enjoy watching all college football teams and “College Game Day” on ESPN every Saturday. He also held season tickets to MSU hockey for many years, but his favorite sport/team was baseball and the original St. Louis Cardinals. Bob absolutely adored children and felt so blessed as every great and great-great nephew or niece came into the family. Family holiday gatherings were his favorite times! He also had the luxury of traveling throughout the United States and abroad during his retirement. He had three treasured rituals in his daily retirement life until he was physically unable to do them - daily morning phone calls with several of his besties, weekly Friday “coffee/breakfast“ with the boys from BWL and entering the daily high and low temperatures with one important event or fact for him that day in a pocket calendar he kept next to his chair.

As the patriarch of the family, Bob will be greatly missed!

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes Lansing Chapel, 900 E Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912. A funeral service for Robert will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM, with a one-hour prior visitation from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM, at the funeral home. Following the service, Robert will be laid to rest in Chapel Hill Memorials Gardens, 4444 W Grand River Ave., Lansing, MI 48906.

Memorial donations may be made in memory of Robert C. Todd to the charity of your choice in lieu of flowers.

The family is deeply grateful for all expressions of sympathy and comfort, whether in deed or in prayer, over the last year, as well as his caregiver’s support during the last few months.