Larry Leonard Todd

Larry Todd, aka “Mr. Todd”, 85, died October 29, 2023, in Salem Oregon. Larry was born on November 7, 1937, to Leonard and Gladys (Reeves) Todd in Salem, Oregon. He grew up in Independence, Oregon. After graduating from Central High School in 1956, he worked for Oregon Turkey Growers in West Salem for a few years before enlisting in the Army National Guard.

Larry married Sharon Johnson on June 28, 1963. In the fall of 1964 Larry started college at Oregon College of Education to become a teacher. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college. The couple moved to Silverton, Oregon in 1971 because Larry had taken a teaching position at Mark Twain Junior High, where he taught 7th and 8th grade for 31 years. In addition to teaching, Larry coached soccer for many years. During the summers Larry stayed busy with various activities including working as the Silverton Summer Recreation Director, running the Silverton swimming pool, and coaching girls softball.

After retiring, Larry, along with Sharon, became an avid volkswalker. Together they logged several thousand miles and were active members of the Silverton volkswalk club. In 1999 he entered the AVA (American Volkssport Association) Master Program. That year Larry, Sharon and two of their grandchildren completed 12 volkswalks together, a total of 75.64 miles, and he earned the rating of AVA Master Volkssporter, In addition, he received a national award for “involving the youngsters in the new program and setting an example for others to follow.” Larry also enjoyed reading, and writing short stories. He wrote many, many stories about his life. With Sharon’s help, these stories were combined into a book for his grandchildren.

Larry is survived by his brother Les Todd; two children, Theresa (Joe) Wiebe and Mike Todd; five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.