Todd W. Ettlinger

Our community and family lost a great man. Todd Waldron Ettlinger, known as Todd, was a larger-than-life figure. If you met him even once, you would remember him. Todd had a commanding presence, large stature, strong voice, endless knowledge and the quickest of wit.

After graduating from Brooklyn Tech H.S. then Georgia Tech, Todd started making an impact on NYC. He became a City Surveyor in 1971, a partner in the family land surveying business in 1981, and in 1995 partnered to form Rajakaruna & Ettlinger, P.C. His licenses included NY and NJ Professional Engineer (Civil and Environmental), NY and NJ State Land Surveyor and NY City Surveyor. In his over fifty-year career, he worked on many projects throughout the city including interceptor sewers, New York City schools and parks, Co-op City, subway track alignments and many more. He was immensely proud to have been the third generation in a business that now boasts 140,000 records and spanned 120 years.

Duty to his community was critically important in Todd’s life. He was a past president of the City Surveyors Association of New York City and, in 2016, received the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership award from the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

While living in Richmondtown, Todd was a firefighter and EMT for Richmond Engine Company #1. For over 20 years, he was on the Board of Trustees at the Staten Island Zoo. During his later years, he was a President of Cedar Grove Beach Club, his birthplace.

Todd’s hobbies in life were sailing the Virgin Islands, flying his Piper Super Cruiser out of Somerset Airport, relaxing at his cabin in the Adirondacks, sharing arcane facts and telling hilarious stories to anyone who would listen.

Despite being such an active man, most people will remember Todd for his character. The kindness, generosity, and love he showed to his family and friends was immeasurable. This larger-than-life man lived life to its fullest and made the lives of all who crossed his path far richer.

He is survived by his wife of over five decades, Mary, who was the love of his life. He also leaves behind his adoring daughters Kate and Ann, dear siblings Doris, Gary, and Mark (predeceased by Carl), five loving grandchildren Myra, Eva, Luke, Ash, and Grayson, two wonderful sons-in-law whom he called friends, Danny and Rob. Finally, he leaves many nieces and nephews who held a special place in his heart.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Todd’s memory may be made to the FASNY Firemen’s Home, 125 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson NY 12534, firemenshome.com