Todd Ernest Williamson

On a winter Sunday evening that was doubtless damp and cool in Salem, Oregon, Todd Ernest Williamson warmed the hearts of his parents with his arrival from Heaven on the 18th day of the month of January in the year 1981. God gave Todd the gift of life for 40 years and 11 months. Very early on a frosty, cold Sunday morning under a brilliant full moon, God called Todd from this life at his home in Guthrie, Oklahoma, to Paradise on December 19, 2021. Todd’s arrival on this earth was on the first day of the week—the Lord’s Day—thus it is only fitting that he should also be called Home on the Lord’s Day. Just as the beautiful Star of Bethlehem illuminated the way to Jesus, the beautiful full moon lit the December Christmas sky as Todd’s soul was called to be with Jesus.

Todd was born to Don and Anneta Williamson where he joined big brother Keith and sister Cynthia in the family. Todd was an extra-special gift to his parents because they had lost a premature infant son two years earlier. And Keith was thrilled to get the brother he was wishing for. Three-year-old Cynthia, on the other hand, was so disappointed at not receiving the sister she was hoping for that she actually cried when told she had a new baby brother. But 40 years and 11 months later, Cynthia was in tears again over the tremendous grief of being separated from that same little brother whom had become the dearest person on earth to her.

The family Todd was born into was completed two and a half years after Todd’s birth with the birth of another baby brother, Loren. Todd and Loren became buddies and pals and loved each other as brothers should. They shared life and played together for five and a half years until Loren joined his daddy and Jesus in Heaven. Todd’s heart was forever marked by the loss of his father and little brother.

Todd was born with a quiet, intellectual type of personality. He observed and pondered life. But his deepest, and most tender feelings were rarely vocalized. You learned what was in Todd’s heart by what he did and how he lived, not by what he said.

When Todd was six years old, the family moved from Oregon to Louisiana during the month of February. In March Todd started going to school for the first time. He had been too young to start 1st grade in Oregon, but in Louisiana they had a kindergarten program so Todd began his kindergarten year in March. He completed the entire kindergarten course during the last quarter of the school year. That was the trajectory of Todd’s remaining school years. God had given him the intelligence to do well at schoolwork and Todd was never content with any grade below 100%. No matter how long he had to ponder a concept, he was always striving to receive a grade of 100% on his tests. And Todd finished school similar to the way he had begun. Since most of his friends were a little older and a grade ahead of him, Todd completed his junior and senior classwork all in one year so he could graduate along with his friends. Todd completed his school years with a very high grade point average.

When Todd was a small boy, he loved to play with toy trucks and cars. He delighted in taking off the wheels and tires. He was continually taking off and putting on wheels and tires on his toy vehicles. When Todd became a man, he developed a passion for tires and wheels. He loved the smell of rubber, and he loved to research the highest quality tires for the best price. And he didn’t just notice the make and model of cars that people drove, Todd would notice the exact type of tire on the vehicle. When family or friends would get different tires, Todd would notice immediately. Todd’s tire advice was so helpful and will be sorely missed!

Although Todd’s love of tires carried over from childhood, there are some things from childhood that Todd left far behind. When he was growing up he was a very picky eater. When going to a buffet restaurant, it wasn’t uncommon for him to only find one thing he liked to eat. And when he ate a cheeseburger he wanted it plain and dry—no condiments and no garnishment. But when Todd became a man, his tastes branched out in many directions. He tried many new things and liked them--things his sister is not too sure about, like sushi for example.

But though Todd enjoyed eating many different kinds of foods, cooking definitely was not his thing. His menus were limited to scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and big bites of peanut butter with milk to drink. Always milk to drink. Todd loved his milk, and he loved to drink it out of his favorite blue plastic cup. Somehow it must have tasted even better when it was in the blue plastic cup.

Since Todd wasn’t much of a cook, he always loved family dinners and looked forward to them. Of course he really loved being with his family, but when the menu only included something like soup he was decidedly disappointed. A family gathering was just not what it should be without a nice spread of good food!

Todd’s mother was a wonderful cook and gave him a love for good, home-cooked meals, but Todd also loved some good restaurant cuisine. He especially liked fish. Fish seemed to really agree with his digestive system and he especially enjoyed an occasional entrée of wild-caught salmon.

When Todd was 14, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. That was another major event in his young life that forever marked the trajectory of his life. But Todd was gifted with the perfect type of personality and intellect to deal with that disease. Todd had to learn the various types of insulin and the perfect dosage amounts to manage his blood sugar level. He eventually became so knowledgeable about the different types of insulin and how they worked that he was educating his doctor and telling his doctor what he wanted him to prescribe.

Because of Todd’s health issues, he didn’t have all the physical ability that he would have liked to have. But he did not whine or complain about difficulties. He quietly learned how to adapt and adjust. Those who know Todd best will remember the black bag he carried with him everywhere he went. Testing his blood sugar level, and taking insulin shots, and eating a snack from his bag became as common as breathing to him.

Todd was passionate about basketball as a teenager and young man. He thoroughly enjoyed a good game of basketball and he loved to play as long as his body would let him. And when his body wouldn’t let him play anymore, he enjoyed watching others play the game.

Todd’s uncle is a home builder and Todd got a taste of home construction from him as a teenager. Todd attended Meridian Technology Center and took the residential construction course. He thoroughly enjoyed putting all the pieces together to frame a home. Todd’s health didn’t allow him to have a career in home-building, but his construction experience no doubt was beneficial to him later in life when he went to work for Integrity Heat and Air.

Todd definitely put his research skills to use when he went to work for Integrity Heat and Air. He had no formal training in Heat and Air work, but he began to teach himself by asking questions and listening and researching. Todd worked his way up from being a warehouse helper to an expert at load calculations and ductwork design.

When the pandemic hit the news in 2020, everyone was needing to check their temperature and buy a thermometer. Todd discovered his thermometer had a dead battery. New thermometers and batteries had flown off the shelves and there didn’t seem to be any available to buy. So Todd researched the type of battery in his thermometer and researched products that contained that same type of battery. He found a package of about 10 really cheap, flimsy, little flashlights that contained the type of battery his thermometer needed. He ordered the flashlights from the internet and received them promptly. Then he tore open the cheap little flashlight and put the battery in his thermometer. Resourceful!

Very recently Todd has been talking about post-frame construction. He had been researching the method and was excited about it. He had watched videos of others who had built their home using that method, and he was dreaming of building his own house someday. He was excited by both the cost-savings and quality of the method.

From Todd’s childhood strivings to always get a grade of 100% on his tests in school, he developed into a man who always sought the highest quality for the best price. He loved to find vehicle tires that had excellent ratings and reviews but yet weren’t the expensive name-brands. And he was always pleased when he discovered equipment in his job that would work very efficiently but not necessarily require the highest cost.

As a child and teenager Todd had various kittens and puppies, but when he was a teenager he bought a female German Shepherd and raised a batch of puppies to sell. He thoroughly enjoyed that experience, but I think it was a little hard on his heart every time he sold one of those puppies. He eventually decided to sell the mother dog and keep one of the puppies for himself. Lance was a beautiful and good-natured dog, and Todd has had a soft spot for German Shepherd dogs ever since that experience.

Todd was the type of man dogs love. Todd’s most recent dog, Calvin, would give happy, welcoming barks as soon as he heard Todd’s truck on the gravel road. Before anyone could spot Todd, Calvin would let us know that Todd was nearly home. Todd would keep Calvin’s doghouse full of cedar shavings in the winter to keep him warm, but last winter during the unusually cold spell Todd put his research skills to use again. He researched a type of heat lamp that would keep Calvin warm but yet be safe and not overheat. He even had a temperature sensor in the doghouse to continually monitor Calvin’s warmth.

After childhood, Todd developed a severe cat allergy and he didn’t want to be around any cats after that. But as he grew older, his allergy troubles greatly diminished so that he could be in the same room with a cat and not have too much trouble as long as he washed his hands after touching a cat. Even though Todd pretended to not be especially fond of cats, he has become the playmate and protector of the two cats in our house. The male cat is very pretty and Todd nicknamed him “supermodel cat”. Todd would often swing the cat toy toward him and play with him a while. And Todd said when he would eat a snack in the night, the supermodel cat would mimic him and also go to his food bowl for a snack. When the supermodel cat is being ornery and picking on my female cat, Todd would just say his name in deep, male voice and he would straighten up and behave himself. Whenever a moth would get in the house, Todd would whisper the cat’s name in an excited voice and point to the moth. The cat would get excited and come running. He seemed to know exactly what Todd was saying and he would catch the moth and eat it! When my older cat seemed to maybe have arthritis and was limping a little, Todd bought her a heating pad to sleep on. Todd wasn’t likely to say the words “I love you” very often, but he often demonstrated love to me in the sweetest ways like buying a heating pad for my old cat. And it was Todd who put chicken wire over the workshop window so I could keep my kittens safe from the coyotes and yet keep the window open so they wouldn’t get too hot.

Just as Todd wasn’t vocal about his love, he also didn’t vocalize his concerns, but he demonstrated it. He bought super bright tiny little flashlights for his sister and aunt for both a keychain and for a purse or around the neck. He bought us cans of pepper spray. And he bought us both a power pack that will quick-start a dead car battery and charge electronic devices. Not a guy to say “I love you” or “I’m concerned about your safety”, Todd was a guy to ACT out his love and concern.

When the annual big family Christmas gathering would roll around, Todd would look forward to the date. And it wasn’t just the good food he was looking forward to, it was seeing and being with his family whom he loved. He loved the visiting and the games and the just being together. His young cousins and their antics delighted his heart.

As a child and teenager, Todd lost his father and little brother and his health. This left a mark on Todd’s heart, but his heart was still tender. Todd was taught about Jesus and the love of God as a child. Todd had a very loving mother full of faith, and Todd always respected her and deeply loved her. When she left his life for Paradise when he was a young man it was a severe blow to him. Todd wandered through some of the “darker” places of life, but the love of his family and the love of Jesus continued to draw him and anchor him. When Todd entered his recent severe illness, he testified that he had been praying and that God had forgiven him and he was ready to die. It seemed that God was going to heal Todd and leave him here with us, but suddenly and unexpectedly Todd had a severe turn in his illness. As his breath was fading away, Todd said, “It is well with my soul!”

The pain of being separated from Todd is indescribable, but the hope and joy of meeting him in Heaven someday through the saving blood of Jesus is worth the sorrow of today’s loss. Knowing that Todd came to a place of peace and healing in his heart that he hadn’t experienced before is a great comfort!

Todd was joyfully welcomed to Paradise by his father and mother, Don and Anneta Williamson, and his little brothers, Don Jr. and Loren. Todd was also preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Merrill and Ruby Williamson, and his maternal grandparents, Ernest and Virginia Luehring.

Sorrowing and brokenhearted by Todd’s passing from this life are his sister, Cynthia Williamson, his brother and sister-in-law, Keith and Allyson Williamson, nephew, Bowen Williamson, and niece, Avery Williamson, aunt, Karen Dickson, uncle and aunt, John and Wanda Gibson, and other dear aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends.

The absence of Todd’s quiet, tenderhearted, intellectual, daily presence is a grief unbearable by human strength for those who love him. But the same blood of Jesus that gave Todd the testimony, “It is well with my soul” will give comfort and healing to every hurting heart!