View Top Shelf Todd Story

Megan Wellikoff

It's hard to know where to start because obviously Todd is a person that's hard to put into a short story or memory. He's larger than life! For me, our beautiful life in Wellington and our deep connection to community and the Temple was directly sparked by Todd's generosity. You see, in 2015 we had just moved to Wellington and did not know a single person or family. We'd joined the Temple and kids were in pre-school. We were meeting nice people and had good feelings about our new town so far. But sometimes there's a moment, when you know you've found your people. It's when you can be your total self and their genuineness matches yours. It happened for me when Adam and I were at Wicked in 2016 (our first time but picture from 2017) and I started talking to you and Todd, just the three of us. To my surprise, you both asked me to join the TBT Gala committee right then and there. I was not really in “networking” form (lol) and my wig from my costume fell off. I’m sure it was not a pretty sight and I was so embarrassed! But Todd did not skip a beat and just kept the friendly convo going, putting me instantly at ease. This is a small example of what Todd would do over and over again, not just for me, but for so many others. He wasn’t interested in fluff or show. Just being himself and wanting to be around people that loved and accepted him for who he was, too. There was also this one time, at your house for an impromptu Coffee Talk bagel breakfast, where Todd popped in to say hi. He and I spent a solid 30 minutes just talking about the Dolphins and Bills. It may have been my most favorite conversation with him ever. Nothing fancy or exciting happened. Just a really nice talk between the two of us about something we both loved. Most memorably though, was when Todd would talk about helping on the Gala committee (or any cause for that matter). You could feel his deep desire to help and be of service. Yes the planning was fun and the party would be great, but you could see he was calculating that HIS direct effort (with support from friends and community) could truly have a lasting impact on TBT or the cause he was championing. You could tell he knew how to make an impact, and he just did it. Watching him put that energy into action was just so inspiring and something I will never forget. Giving, sharing, doing, laughing, enjoying life. This is Todd. Now, and forever. Love you all very much. It's hard to know where to start because obviously Todd is a person that's hard to put into a short story or memory. He's larger than life!

For me, our beautiful life in Wellington and our deep connection to community and the Temple was directly sparked by Todd's generosity. You see, in 2015 we had just moved to Wellington and did not know a single person or family. We'd joined the Temple and kids were in pre-school. We were meeting nice people and had good feelings about our new town so far.

But sometimes there's a moment, when you know you've found your people. It's when you can be your total self and their genuineness matches yours.

It happened for me when Adam and I were at Wicked in 2016 (our first time but picture from 2017) and I started talking to you and Todd, just the three of us. To my surprise, you both asked me to join the TBT Gala committee right then and there. I was not really in “networking” form (lol) and my wig from my costume fell off. I’m sure it was not a pretty sight and I was so embarrassed!

But Todd did not skip a beat and just kept the friendly convo going, putting me instantly at ease. This is a small example of what Todd would do over and over again, not just for me, but for so many others. He wasn’t interested in fluff or show. Just being himself and wanting to be around people that loved and accepted him for who he was, too.

There was also this one time, at your house for an impromptu Coffee Talk bagel breakfast, where Todd popped in to say hi. He and I spent a solid 30 minutes just talking about the Dolphins and Bills. It may have been my most favorite conversation with him ever. Nothing fancy or exciting happened. Just a really nice talk between the two of us about something we both loved.

Most memorably though, was when Todd would talk about helping on the Gala committee (or any cause for that matter). You could feel his deep desire to help and be of service. Yes the planning was fun and the party would be great, but you could see he was calculating that HIS direct effort (with support from friends and community) could truly have a lasting impact on TBT or the cause he was championing. You could tell he knew how to make an impact, and he just did it. Watching him put that energy into action was just so inspiring and something I will never forget.

Giving, sharing, doing, laughing, enjoying life. This is Todd. Now, and forever.

Love you all very much.