Obituary

Donna Todd passed away peacefully March 28 at Shuksan Healthcare at the age of 88. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 to Edwin and Ethel Markham. She grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida with her sister Betty and brother Buddy. She went to the University of Florida at Gainesville the first year women were allowed to attend. Her father was a real estate developer and salesman, and she became one of the youngest women granted a brokers license in the state of Florida.
In 1954, she married a young pilot just out of the Air Force, Bill Todd. They had two children, a daughter Susan and a son Mark. Bill worked his whole career at Boeing as an aeronautical engineer, and he and Donna and the kids moved all over the country.
Donna made growing up a magical experience for her kids. She was an amazingly creative artist, storyteller, and leader of adventures. The Todd household was always the center of fun, food, and friends. Later she became interested in duplicate bridge, golf, developing recipes, and always art. Her paintings and fiber art were featured in many shows and galleries, and she was also an art teacher. She helped found the Los Padres Artist Guild in Santa Maria, California in 1973, and it is still thriving today.
After her husband passed away in 1985, she and her daughter had several business together, including a knitting shop and a gourmet market.
She will be sorely missed by her daughter Susan, who lives in Bellingham, and her son Mark in California, and the many friends she has made along the way. We will never forget her humor, her spark, and her love. Our thanks to Shuksan Healthcare, who made her part of their family, and became part of ours. We love you, Mom!