Eulogy / Michael Barron

Todd Barron eulogy by Michael Barron “You’ve Never Met a Guy Like TB!”

Eulogy transcription:
Good afternoon and thank you all for being here! When I look around this room, I have now confirmed…that I must not be the only one who absolutely loved, admired, and adored the one and only Todd Barron. I’ve been saying this for years to everyone, “You’ve never met a guy like TB!!! Never!! And most likely we never will again!!” When I think about Todd Barron, what quickly comes to my mind are three beautiful words… LIVE, GIVE, and LOVE…

Todd was a man who loved to LIVE, he simply loved life, more than anyone we know, and he lived every day to its absolute fullest!! He always thought each day, that when in doubt, YOLO, (you only live once!), have that party, drink that expensive bourbon, eat that special food, take that bucket list trip, celebrate that special occasion, because…..if not now…. when!!

Todd was a man who loved to GIVE…. he would not only give anyone in this room the shirt off his back, but being a Giver in general was always in his DNA throughout his entire life, long before he was ever sick. Todd was a Philanthropist at heart, donating his time, his money, his energy, his passion, and of course his amazing auctioneering skills that led to raising hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars for dozens of wonderful charities over the many years.

And Todd was a man who loved to LOVE…. Not just his adoring wife Debra, and his two beautiful children Sarah and Lilah, and not just his loving family members, his mother Andrea, his sisters Lisa and Heidi, and not just his best big brother MB, but equally as important for Todd’s daily love…was for YOU (point to the crowd), YOU!!! ………each and every one of you in this room today, Todd LOVED you!!!! Todd woke up every single day, and simply loved everyone, and I think it goes without saying, anyone who has ever known TB has felt that same way about him, and then some!!

Other words that come to mind when describing TB are: LEGENDARY, EPIC, SUPERHUMAN, ICONIC, STRONG, MENSCH, AWESOME, HILARIOUS, INTELLIGENT, THOUGHTFUL, CHARITABLE, TALENTED, FUN, LIFE OF THE PARTY, and last but not least, ONE OF A KIND.

When I look back at the life of Todd Barron, it’s difficult to sum it up in just a few minutes or so, so please bear with me. This is a guy who lived more in his only 49 plus years of life than every single person in this room! When I use the words LEGENDARY, and ICONIC to describe TB, everyone in this room understands why. He had this aurora around him that just exudes life, a uniqueness that no one else can ever compare to him, an endless positive spirit even when things may have been down, and a perpetual desire to help others in any and all ways at all times. Todd always tried to bring happiness to anyone and everyone around him, and to make sure every single person in the room that was with him felt special and importantly loved. Todd was truly a bright shining star to anyone and everyone that knew him.

Todd’s life and journey all started on August 29th, 1974, In Houston Texas. Todd was the youngest of 4 children, as we have two older sisters, Lisa and Heidi. Within a few years, our family moved to South Florida, and we grew up in Boca Raton during our childhood years. From a very early age, he and I were two peas in a pod, best friends forever!! We shared a room, we even shared bunkbeds, we both played baseball, football, we did cub scouts, and whatever I did he wanted to do, and vice versa! For me growing up, I took my responsibilities of being a big brother very seriously! My job was to always set the right example for my brother, always give good advice and guidance, and to set the bar high for each of us. After high school, Todd attended the University of Florida, and he studied business. Todd graduated from UF in December of 1996, and in March of 1997, like his big brother, Todd began his career in the financial services business. For the next 4-5 years, Tb and I worked at different companies, but we would talk every day, mainly about the stock and bond markets, trading stocks, or just about our new adult life in general. By the middle of 2002, after many discussions about working together one day, Todd joined Morgan Stanley, the company I was working for, and within months, the two of us and our partner Ronnie Simpson joined forces together, and “The Barron Group” was started. After our very close relationship throughout our childhood, nothing could make me happier than to know I was now getting to be with my brother again nearly every day for the coming years ahead.

About a year later, On Friday, December 5th, 2003, Todd’s life changed forever!! Todd left work that late afternoon and went down the block to happy hour at ER Bradley’s with Ronnie and some friends. That same night, a group of teachers from South Grade Elementary had just celebrated a teacher holiday party nearby, when they also decided to go to to ER Bradley’s. It was at that time Todd was introduced to a young Debra Wolosoff, and the two spent the rest of the night hanging out, talking, dancing and maybe even a little drinking. As the night was winding down, Todd waited for Debra as she was waiting for a taxi. Before she got in, Todd walked right up to her, gave her a big fat kiss on the lips and he said, “That’s so you know we are NOT going to be JUST FRIENDS!!!”. On their first real date, Todd told Debra that he was a real “CATCH”, which of course he was. And a little less than 3 years later, the two would marry on November 11th, 2006, and their beautiful fairy tale was off and running.

Nearly five years later, Todd and Deb welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Sarah Jacklyn, and less than 3 short years later, Lilah Nichole was born, and this beautiful family of four was complete!! Todd truly embraced being a “Girl dad”, and he loved every minute of it. He loved taking them to Disney world, traveling around the world with them, and as he should, he simply loved whatever they loved. He loved spoiling them with unforgettable experiences, getting them makeovers, and of course buying them gifts and then more gifts. Lastly, he loved sharing his love of candy and sweet treats with them!

When the girls were just 3 and 6 years old, Todd was feeling some discomfort and swelling in and around his left knee. After using Advil and Aleve, the pain wasn’t going away, so Todd met with his doctor to rule out something more. After doing scans, in early February of 2018, the day after the Super Bowl, Todd got the call from his primary doctor to have he and Deb head down to Miami and meet with a surgical oncologist. At this point, a biopsy of his leg was done, and Todd was given the devastating diagnosis of having Ewing’s Sarcoma. After Todd digested the severity of this news, he felt he had 2 choices, either curl up in a ball and stop living, or do what he chose, to do whatever, and I mean whatever it takes to continue to live his life, no matter how hard it got, and to keep living every single day with grace, with class, with dignity, with humor, and live life like the same TB we have ever known. Todd and Deb quickly jumped into action, and within days Todd had a protocol with multiple rounds of chemo, radiation, and a probable surgery ahead of him.

Todd always said, “I’m not dying, I am LIVING with Sarcoma”. And over the last 6 years, he sure LIVED!! He not only lived, but he also inspired others to LIVE, especially me!! Throughout his battle, Todd continued to work, as well he continued his quest to always give back to his community with his time, with his resources and connections, and with his money. With not knowing what tomorrow would bring, Todd had a quest to knock out every single bucket list item he could ever think of, every trip, every dinner, every party, and of course to be able to travel the world. Some of the most memorable trips for just Todd and Debra together in recent years included trips to Rome, Portugal, London and Paris!! Some of their favorite family trips in the past several years included trips to Hawaii, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston, New Orleans, Denver, Kiawah Island, Montreal, New York City, the Bahamas, Lake Lucerne, Alaska, Canada, and of course Miami Key Biscayne! Some of Todd’s other favorite trips and events in recent years included our Kentucky Bourbon trail trip, our Super Bowl trip, our NBA finals game, our countless football trips with the guys to Buffalo, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Gainesville, and even most recently in mid-December to Jacksonville. Other trips and special milestone events included Evan’s Bar Mitzvah, our family trip to Captiva, our family Caribbean cruise, and of course we can’t forget Sarah’s incredible Bat Mitzvah weekend. Finally, when we are talking about Todd Barron, we cannot forget the countless Black tie Gala’s and charity events, our amazing client events, New Year’s Eve parties, my 50th birthday party with Uncle Luke, his Rob Base House party, the kid N Play house party 2, Todd’s most recent birthday party, and all the memorable bourbon tastings and dinner parties. The list could go on and on, but these are just a taste of his past 6 year’s social calendar.

Speaking of social, you may have noticed on the way in, next to the sanctuary, is the temple’s social hall. After discussions with the temple board, the rabbi and the cantor, the decision was made over a month ago that the Temple Beth Torah’s social hall will forever be named The Todd D. Barron Social Hall. Not only did Todd spearhead and chair multiple years of the Temple’s annual Gala, but the word Todd Barron and Social should be synonyms in the dictionary. To me, there is no name more fitting, more appropriate, and more deserving than Todd’s name up on that wall! Every time anyone looks up and sees that name Todd D. Barron, we will always remember him, we will always honor him, we will always be inspired and motivated by him, and we will always strive to be more like him…to be a Liver, to be a Giver, and to be a Lover!!

With all the treatments and medicine Todd had taken over the many years, Tb once said to me, “Mb, I really can’t drink that much anymore…”. I would say, “Oh, so you can only have like one drink or so now?” He would say, “Oh no no no, it means I can only have like 4-5 drinks now!!!” I’d look at him in a bit of shock and say, “TB, 4-5 drinks are still a lot bud”, and he said, “Yeah, but not compared to the 12-14 I used to be able to drink!!!”

As we have said, Todd was always a planner, a darn good one if I can say so myself. He loved to make things top notch, first class, from top to bottom and from the beginning to end. He would always say, “Mb, if I didn’t get into the brokerage business, I would have definitely been a special events and party planner!!” Well guess what, he did both, and he did them both amazingly well!!

When all was said and done, during his six-year battle, Todd had gone to Jupiter Medical Center, University of Miami, Mass General, Dana Farber, MD Anderson, and Moffit center. Todd had received 10 different types of chemotherapy drugs, enduring many dozens and dozens of rounds of chemo, he tried 1 immunotherapy drug, he participated in 2 different clinical trials, he had 4 major surgeries, including an amputation, and he had over 75 days of radiation. His main oncologist Dr. Trent had said multiple times, that he had never seen anything like it. His radiation oncologist Dr. Freedman said he broke records with the amount of radiation he took with any of her patients. His surgical oncologist Dr. Temple called him one of the strongest patients he ever had. I would ask him, “Tb, how is that you can possibly take all this chemo, all this radiation and not have many side effects?” He would say, “Mb, I’ve been training for this my entire life!!” I think we all know why we called Todd “Superman”!!!

Speaking of Superman, in September of 2022, Todd was honored by the SFA, the Sarcoma Foundation of America, as he received the annual Courage award. Typical Tb fashion, that September day, he woke up at home in Wellington, he went to Ft Lauderdale, as he was in the middle of a five day radiation cycle, he got his radiation in the morning, had his bags packed, then flew from Ft. Lauderdale to NYC in the early afternoon, he arrived at his hotel, change into a tuxedo, and went straight to a black tie Sarcoma Gala in the city. After he was honored in front of hundreds of people, he then acted as the live auctioneer and helped raise over 500 thousand dollars for the SFA that night! Also in Tb fashion and style, he kept the party going and arranged a private late night after party in the city with close to 50 guests continuing on well past midnight! He then woke up the next morning, flew back to Ft. Lauderdale, got off the plane, drove right to the hospital, and got his next day of radiation and never missed a beat. “You’ve never met a guy like TB”.

Last summer, things were really starting to get more challenging, as Todd had begun to have some more serious issues with his lungs. We had an upcoming family summer cruise he planned with he and the girls, Brenna, Evan and I, and the Their family. As we got close to the trip, Todd said that no matter what we weren’t cancelling anything, and we were all still going. Days before we were to fly to Boston, the doctors told Todd with the condition he had with his lung he absolutely should not fly. At this point, rather than cancelling the trip, he said he will meet us up north in Cape Cod, possibly missing a day or two of the trip. The entire group, without Todd, flew to Cape Cod on a Wednesday. Todd finished the treatments he was getting on his lungs on Wednesday and Thursday morning, and after his morning treatment that Thursday, all alone, Todd rents a car in Ft. Lauderdale, drives four hours to Jacksonville, gets on an 18-hour overnight train to Providence, Rhode Island, gets off, rents a car, drives 2 hours to cape cod just to have dinner with us! He then goes to bed, wakes up and drives 2 more hours to Boston, returns the rental car, and we head back to the cruise port, and we all hop aboard a 7 day New England/Canada cruise!! All this, to make sure his family and his friends enjoy a nice family vacation together! Once again, “You’ve never met a guy like Tb!!”

Speaking of Superman, let’s talk about his Wonder Woman! Debra, next to Todd, you may be the next strongest and greatest human on this planet! The love you and Todd shared this past 20 years, is nothing less than breathtaking and truly magical and special. You were his ride or die for life, and he could not have ever had a better partner by his side. Everyone in this room is eternally grateful for you, for your love, for your unforgettable and amazing care you gave Todd, for your strong advocacy and guidance you somehow navigated for him, and for simply everything you did for Todd on this recent journey. Todd once said to me, “Hey Mb, are you packed and ready for the trip?” I would say, “No Tb, I haven’t even started packing yet?” He then said to me, “Wait…..you pack yourself?”. I would say, “Yes of course, don’t you bud?”, he said, “You know what MB, I always was a better negotiator than you, my brotha!!!!”

In one of our many recent talks, Tb would say, “Mb, unfortunately I was dealt a bad hand, but I had to play the cards I was dealt, and for being so unlucky, I am actually the luckiest man on the planet. Look around me. I have an amazing and beautiful wife, two gorgeous and wonderful girls, a loving family, a successful business, a beautiful home, and the greatest friends a man could ever ask for. I have had the most incredible life experiences anyone could have ever had, I’ve lived more in my 49 years of life than any 100-year-old has ever lived, and I promise you, my life is really complete.”

I would ask him in recent months, “Tb, is there anything you want me to say, or tell people when the time comes..?” He said, “Mb, this is what I want everyone to remember…. I don’t want you all to be sad, and mourn my death, I want you all to CELEBRATE MY LIFE!!….” As I was taking in this comment, he quickly pivoted to say “Oh yeah, and you guys better plan me a kick ass SHIVA!!!!” Once again, as I was about the respond, he interrupted me and said, “Oh yeah, and you better have Valet!!” This was my brother, he never let a chance go by to be his funny, charming, amazing self, this was Todd Barron, the Man, the Myth, the Legend!!!

About 4 weeks ago, Todd and Deb and his entire medical team had a difficult conversation. After consideration of his current health and prognosis, and after evaluating the risk and reward of the drugs he was taking, Todd and Debra decided to stop taking the cancer meds and treatments to extend life. Todd planned to live out his remaining days with his wife and girls, and close family and friends on his terms, and most importantly to take himself out of the pain he was in. We met with Trustbridge, and we set the table for when he may need to use their amazing in-home hospice services. In one of the meetings the social worker had mentioned that whereas he was obviously very sick, that some families would take a day or two and perhaps do a family getaway if it was possible. It was at that moment when Todd perked up and the wheels started spinning! Todd woke up at 4am that next morning, and he had this ‘Jerry Mcguire” epiphany moment, as he began writing an entire “mission statement” of his new wishes! Todd wanted to plan a family trip for he, Debra and the girls, and any family member who could go, to go to Key Biscayne Ritz Carlton, get an oceanfront suite with a balcony, with Club Level access, and he literally wrote out all the things he wanted for Debra to have, her morning coffee, her reading time, a massage, a facial, and of course laid out a plan for Debra’s upcoming 44th birthday dinner. He sent this to me early that morning, and at first, knowing his current condition, I thought it was, honestly, Outrageous….but at the same time, we are talking about Todd Barron here. I quickly jumped onboard, and the next thing we know, we have 5 different rooms booked for just our family, and five more rooms for some of Todd’s closest friends. The trip was nothing short of a miracle, as we had the best and most special and memorable trip ever, and to top it off, that Sunday night, on Deb’s 44th birthday, we somehow had a 35-person birthday dinner party at a local restaurant in Key Biscayne, of course all planned out by Todd Barron. The fact that we were able to have that final trip, literally 2 weeks ago, I really have no words, other than you’ve never met a guy like TB!!!!

Hearing all of this, it’s still really difficult to imagine my, (point to everyone) and all our lives without TB. But a wise man named Evan Levi recently told me, he said, “Daddy, even though TB is not physically here with you anymore, he will always be with you right here (hold your heart). Tb will always be with us in our hearts. Whenever you need him, talk to him, ask him anything you want, and you know him so well, inside and out, that you know the answers he would give you. And, you can always ask yourself, what would Todd do, WWTD”….. At that moment, I looked at my son, and I said “Wow, bud, you are so right, that is amazing advice for me, and for anyone and everyone who ever knew him. If we are ever having a tough time, if we are ever having a bad day, if we ever need any advice or guidance, think WWTD, “What would Todd do”.

In closing, I want to thank you all again for being here today, it truly means the world to me, to Debra, and our entire family. Todd has inspired thousands of people over his life, and I hope Todd’s amazing life and story motivates each and every one of us to take his strength, take his courage, take his will to Live, Give, and Love, to make this world a better place in his honor!! May Todd’s memory always be a blessing to all of us! Love you forever and ever my Brotha!!!