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Wheaton Warrenville South mourns cross country coach Tom Todd

Tom Todd dies after battle with lymphoma

The Wheaton Warrenville South High School community is mourning the death of a beloved cross country coach and science teacher.

Tom Todd died Wednesday afternoon at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago after a two-year-long battle with lymphoma. He was 61.

Boys cross country parent coordinator Keena Anderson described Todd as a big man with a strong presence but a “soft, wonderful heart.”

She said he always had encouraging words for his athletes and was able to make “the underdog” feel like they were “the top dog.”

“He treated everyone with respect and he expected the best out of them,” she said.

Anderson and others who knew Todd said he “always had a corny joke for everyone,” but that was just one of the many reasons kids liked being around him.

“Tom was so intelligent, in the way he thought, the way he talked and the way he was,” said fellow teacher and girls cross country and track coach Rob Harvey. “He had the best jokes in the world. He would tell you a joke and you wouldn't understand it. You would get the joke like five minutes later.”

Todd grew up in the small town of Geneseo, about 20 miles east of the Quad Cities, Harvey said. He attended Texas A&M University and Augustana College and taught at Kaneland High School before joining the science department at then Wheaton Central High School.

Most recently, Todd taught astronomy and physics. He served as an IHSA official for track meets and had extensive experience coaching boys and girls cross country and track.

“He is a kid-first educator who used science, and track and field and cross country as his model to teach life lessons, and he did it with such a kind heart and kind soul,” Harvey said.

Todd stepped down as Wheaton Warrenville South's head girls track coach in 1999, and Harvey took over.

“We grew really close at that point, and I felt a sense of responsibility to continue the tradition that he set and the bar he raised,” Harvey said. “It was an honor to have him, along with a few other people, kind of mold me for that job.”

During his time as the girls coach, Todd coached more than 25 all-state runners and several conference champions, Harvey said.

But Todd made the tough decision to leave the girls track program because he wanted to see his own children compete in cross country and track. To do that and keep coaching, he signed on as assistant coach of the boys team.

“It really speaks to what kind of person he was,” Harvey said. “He gave all that up because he wanted to be closer to his sons.”

In February 2013, Todd was officiating a track meet at Wheaton Warrenville South when he complained of not feeling well. He attributed it to the flu, but several people encouraged him to go see the doctor during the meet.

“Later that week he got an idea of what was going on,” Harvey said. “That was the last track meet he started.”

Todd had to stop coaching and teaching soon after, but when his health was fairly stable, he made an effort to attend cross country and track meets to support the runners.

“I know it was killing him to not come back and coach because that's what he loved,” Anderson said. “It was just really tough for the team. They really missed having him there. They missed the encouragement they got from him.”

The team supported Todd by writing cards to him, printing T-shirts with his name on it and sending him a plaque with pictures of the team on it.

A few weeks ago, at an awards night for the cross country team, boys cross country head coach Greta Havey mentioned that Todd was not doing well.

“There was just a collective sigh,” Anderson said. “Everybody loved him. It's a real loss for Wheaton Warrenville South.”

Since his passing, former teachers and students have gone to social media to express their grief and post old photos of Todd.

“They've all taken it hard,” Harvey said. “You spend a lot of time with your coaches. It's not just a coach, it's not just a teacher. It's a friend, it's a mentor.”

Harvey said there were some tears at school Thursday but also lots of students saying he fought a good fight and leaning on their religious beliefs to help them cope.

“He touched a lot of lives in a lot of places, and he'll be missed,” he said.

Todd is survived by his three sons, Brandon, Jason and Erik. Arrangements are pending, but Harvey said he expects the school will host a memorial gathering in the near future.