Carl Edward Todd

Carl Edward Todd, 86, of Collierville, Tennessee, formerly of Memphis, passed away on August 24, 2026. He was born April 14, 1940, in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, to Lester Carl Todd and Frances Madalene Crowley Todd, and was one of six children.

Carl grew up in a family of modest means, raised largely by a mother who was determined that all six of her children would graduate from high school. They did. From an early age, Carl understood that work was not simply about earning spending money; as boys and teenagers, he and his younger brother John worked to help support the entire family. Carl delivered the Kansas City Star before school and the Kansas City Times later in the day, walking his route through Excelsior Springs in every kind of weather. On one bitterly cold morning, his mother walked the route with him because she feared for his safety. Carl kept one hand out of his glove so he could grab and throw the newspapers and suffered frostbite in his fingers, leaving him with occasional pain for the rest of his life.

Some of Carl’s happiest childhood memories were spent with John, the brother closest to him in age and the sibling to whom he remained especially close throughout his life. The two fished together around Excelsior Springs with little more than poles, string and bobbers, catching fish for the family table. They sometimes stayed out overnight at Jackass Bend along the Missouri River, hoping to catch catfish in the early morning hours.

Carl graduated from Excelsior Springs High School in 1958 and immediately followed the example of his much older brother Bob, a Navy veteran whom the family greatly admired, by enlisting in the United States Navy. Carl served for six years, spending approximately four years aboard the USS Graham County (LST-1176) and two years on shore duty. He served as a radioman and left the Navy as a Radioman Second Class.

His service aboard the Graham County, an amphibious landing ship that carried Marines and equipment, took him across the Atlantic, into the Mediterranean, along the coast of Africa and into the Congo region. He crossed the Equator many times and was formally initiated as a “Trusty Shellback,” a traditional Navy distinction of which he remained especially proud. His younger brother John later served aboard the same ship, and the brothers shared a number of those deployments together. John also became a “Trusty Shellback,” giving the brothers one more distinction they shared from their years at sea.

Carl’s only son, Randall Craig “Randy” Todd, was born in January 1964. Carl cared deeply about Randy throughout his life and always looked out for his well-being and future. He helped him through the years and made thoughtful provisions intended to help ensure Randy would be cared for after Carl was gone.

After leaving the Navy in 1964, Carl trained as a flight dispatcher, borrowing approximately $400 for the specialized training, with his brother John later helping pay off the loan. He soon began what would become a long career in aviation operations with Braniff Airlines. Carl first worked for Braniff in Kansas City and moved to Dallas in 1972 as his career with the airline continued.

Braniff’s prolonged financial struggles brought repeated layoffs and rehiring and eventually forced Carl to rebuild much of the career and retirement security he had worked to establish. In the words of one family member, Carl had to “claw his way back.” True to his nature, he did. At one point during the 1980s, Carl also accepted a short but unusually well-paying flight-dispatch assignment in Saudi Arabia connected with the Hajj pilgrimage.

While living in Texas, Carl met Norma Douglas at a mutual friend’s wedding in Fort Worth. They married in August 1984. Their marriage was marked, as Norma’s son Bob later described it, by two things in particular: laughter and kindness.

In 1985, Carl and Norma moved to Memphis in connection with Carl’s career at Federal Express. He continued working in flight dispatch and global operations, eventually holding the title Senior Specialist – Global Operations. After the disruption of the Braniff years, Carl rebuilt his professional and financial life.

Carl and Norma made a life together in Memphis for more than three decades. They were avid gardeners, and their homes in both Texas and Memphis were known for their beautiful landscaping. They attended Capleville United Methodist Church, where Carl also participated in gatherings of the Capleville United Methodist Men. Carl embraced Norma’s family as his own, and her children and grandchildren embraced him in return.

Norma died in January 2021 after 36 years of marriage. Her loss affected Carl deeply. He remained devoted to her memory and could still become emotional simply hearing her name mentioned.

Carl was a bright, practical and pragmatic man. He was thrifty and watched his spending carefully, habits rooted partly in a childhood when money was scarce and nothing was wasted. He was worldly-wise and realistic about life without becoming bitter about it. Those closest to him describe him as easygoing, upbeat, kind, jovial, good-humored, gentle, fair and honest — a true gentleman and a straight shooter who was, as his sister Suella put it, “100% for family.”

He enjoyed keeping his home in good order and could always find something that needed maintaining or fixing. He loved his Chevrolet El Camino and was heartbroken when it was stolen from the driveway of his Snyder Road home in the late 1980s. Breakfast at Perkins became one of his familiar routines. His Navy background as a radioman stayed with him as well; later in life he earned the highest class of amateur-radio license and was capable of communicating with operators around the world.

Carl was very pleased to reconnect with his Missouri family at a couple of the more recent Todd family reunions. He was especially close to his brother John, who remembers him simply as “a gentle and nice man” and “a really great brother.” In later years, Carl also shared a particularly warm bond with his sister Suella. About a year before his death, the two spent hours together reminiscing and laughing about their childhood, a visit that reflected the easy affection and closeness they shared.

In July 2024, Carl moved to Sycamore Ridge in Collierville, where he continued to live independently.

Carl was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Norma; his parents, Lester and Madalene Todd; and his siblings Robert Eugene “Bob” Todd, Frances Todd Clancy and Joann Todd Frye.

He is survived by his son, Randy Todd of Liberty, Missouri; his stepsons, Robert R. “Bob” Douglas (Nancy Leigh) of Auburn, Alabama, and Donald D. “Don” Douglas (Becky) of Lampasas, Texas; his brother, John Todd of Excelsior Springs, Missouri; his sister, Suella Walsh of the Kansas City area; and the grandchildren he embraced as his own: Sarah (Jason) Callahan, Leigh (Randy) Warren, and Rob (Kaitie) Douglas.

Carl cared about family, believed in taking responsibility, worked hard for what he had and treated people fairly. He was the kind of man who knew how imperfect the world could be but still chose to meet it with humor, common sense, generosity and loyalty.

And for those fortunate enough to receive a note or message from Carl, there was a good chance it ended in the simple way that came to sound unmistakably like him:

“Love-ya!”