Obituary of Nolan Todd

Nolan Alonzo Joseph Todd 

Born 5-23-38 in Anaheim CA, Died 2-25-25 in Simi Valley, CA he was 86 years old

Nolan, Lonnie, Todd, Papa was born on May 23, 1938 in Anaheim, California, to Nolan and Pearl Todd, he was one of 10 children. He is survived by his wife Mary Katherine,  four daughters, 12 grandchildren, and 28 great-grandchildren, and two brothers, Ronald Todd and the runt of the family Donald Todd. 

On Tuesday evening, February 25th I had the opportunity to sit with his family, and his brother Donald to talk about who Lonnie/Papa really was, we talked for hours, and I had to ask myself how do you sum up the life of someone like papa in 10 minutes or less. It’s challenging, but i hope it can be done.

Papa spent the early  years of his life in the Estrada Court Housing Project in Boyle Heights, as a kid he loved to go to the swimming hole at the Abbott Costello Park, it was thought that the swimming hole was the place he contracted polio at age of 10.   He spent a year in hospital recovering. 

In 1951 when he was 13, the family moved to Burbank, where he attended John Muir Junior high, then went onto Burbank high, he was the school photographer and a track star. 

When was 15 he delivered ice with only a learners permit, then he went onto Gelson’s market to work as a box boy.  Growing up in Burbank, his friends included many of the original Mouseketeers.

He really wanted to join the police department, at that time military service was a requirement to join, so at 21 years old in 1959 he joined the US Army. 

He did his basic training at Fort Ord in Monterey Bay, then he went to France to serve as an MP.  After angering the Provost Marshall in France he ended up at a gate, the wife of the General drove to the gate and seeing him there questioned why he wasn't taking pictures - he explained that he upset the Provost and was being punished, shortly thereafter he was replaced at the gate by another MP and he was sent into the event to take pictures.  That is how he became the Base Photographer, he left the army as a Photographer and Specialist 4.

He met his wife Mary Catherine when she was only 12 years old. he was a box boy at Gelson's Market and a friend of one of her brothers, Mickey.

When Mary was 17 Lonnie invited her to go get a Coke but she couldn't go because she had to go pick up her mom so he said he would take her to get a coke, then pick up her mom. They parked the car behind the women’s club in Burbank as they were walking, a dog jumped on the chain-link fence and barked and almost jumped over it. She hid behind him,  and he took her hand and pulled her away from the dog. That's when she said, God, someday I’m gonna marry this man.

He went overseas when she was 17 and came back when she was 19. He returned in September, proposed in October and they were married May 11th 1963.

Upon his return he still wanted to join the Burbank police department but he didn't pass the physical because of his history of Polio, and went  to work at Lockheed. He  worked there for over 30 years.   He wasn't able to talk about his work because he had a top secret clearance, one can only speculate when he was up to. One thing he did talk about was standing in the opening of the plane to take pictures, the camera was secured, but he was not.

In 1963 he joined the Burbank Council of the  Knights of Columbus, with his father in law in Burbank. After moving to SV and he joined the Simi Valley Council 5803, where he was awarded the 4th degree Knight. 

He earned two Associates degrees, one Bachelors, one MBA and a JD, he never sat for his bar exam because he was afraid he would have to use his law degree. He went to school with a GI Bill and earned four of his degrees while being paid by the Veterans Administration for going to school and that money helped put the girls through Catholic school and Catholic High School

He also ran a very successful photography business and attended camera shows on a regular basis. 

After his retirement he played softball for 20 years as a catcher; he was one of the original citizen volunteers with the Simi Valley Police Department for 24 years he holds the record as the longest running volunteer; he ran bread delivery to seniors for over 30 years and he worked at Casa as a volunteer in Ventura County he did use his law education there.  He volunteered at St Peter Claver and St Rose doing maintenance.