George Carroll Todd, Sr.
George Carroll Todd, Sr. passed away peacefully at his home early Friday, February 2, 2024, surrounded by his family and his faithful “watchdog”
Penny. From the beginning of his life in Bethesda,
MD, and Charlottesville, VA, Carroll was a hard worker and devoted provider for his family – always finding joy, peace and serenity working with his hands – whether on Eldon Farm where he grew up, building his family home in Memphis, or tending his gardens in Michigan and Tennessee.
Carroll was born in Bethesda, MD, to Thomas
Hardy Todd and Sarah “Sallie” Bolling Todd, one of five lively siblings (Thomas “Tom” Jr., Sallie, Bartlett, and Meta Stuart). He attended Landon School in Bethesda, MD, until the family moved to Eldon Farm in Virginia, where Carroll spent most of his upbringing and had many of his fondest formative memories. On Eldon Farm, Carroll earned the loving nickname “Cowboy,” given because he was known to ride horses bareback across the farm as he worked tirelessly before and after school every day. He loved working the land and tending to animals – both the family’s livestock and the wild creatures that would turn up from time to time, especially foxes and raccoons. Throughout his childhood, he learned to wrestle, hunt and ride bareback as a byproduct of farm living, and even jogged before jogging was cool! A neighbor on the farm taught him taxidermy, which further deepened his love and respect for animals.
He graduated Lane High School in Charlottesville, VA, before attending the University of Virginia, where he was a member of Saint Andrew’s Hall fraternity. After UVA, Carroll went to Panama with the Army during the Korean War – a stroke of luck that he credited to his grade schoolteacher who taught him the Morse Code, which resulted in his placement in Panama, safely out of the combat zones. Carroll fondly remembered writing poetry on the Panama beaches, sending Morse Code messages, and the camaraderie that he built with the men he stationed with.
On graduating from UVA and finishing his time in the army, Carroll followed his brother Tom to Memphis. Once there, he joined Robert Galloway Snowden as a general contractor, building small houses in local subdivisions. Over time, they grew to building large warehouses and industrial developments throughout the midsouth.
It was there in Memphis that Carroll, a self-proclaimed shy man, attended a Li’l Abner party where he would meet his future wife. The rest, as they say, was history. Elissa Austin was dressed – as is tradition – in the same Daisy Mae outfit that all the girls wore, but Carroll knew that she was different the minute he saw her across the room. That feeling inspired him to approach the vivacious Elissa, despite his nerves. They married shortly thereafter and remained devoted to each other until her death after 66 years together. Elissa’s spunk and enthusiastic love perfectly complemented Carroll’s unwavering and loyal devotion through to the end of both of their lives and has been an example to their many descendants.
In 1964, Carroll built the house where he and his family would live, and where he and Elissa would both spend their final days. In the same way that Carroll built foundations of faith, loyalty, and honor in his family, he built a sturdy home, nestled between the homes of his mother-in-law and brother-in-law. He raised his four children and countless dogs (eventually, one called Daisy Mae, if you’ve been paying attention!) He taught the Fellowship Bible Study and was a participant in Amen Bible Study for many years, still retaining his many notes, books, and lesson plans until the end of his life.
Carroll maintained regular activity throughout his life, both in and outside of his home. He took up tennis when he was 40 and played for fifty years until he was 90, only stopping out of concern for his fellow players should he suffer a fall. He could be found in his yard daily picking up sticks, pulling weeds and tending his many rose bushes – occasionally bursting into hymnal song praising the Lord in his beautiful church-choir voice. He gave generously to many organizations that he loved, receiving magazines, journals, and newspapers on various topics he cared about or simply was interested in supporting – he read the Wall Street Journal and Commercial Appeal daily until the end of his life.
In his last two years, he was loved and cared for by Cheryl Williams, and between the two of them, there was never a lack of joy and laughter as she assisted the “Old Codger” – as he loved to refer to himself. He increasingly shared stories of his many memories, always repeating “I’ve been blessed all my life.” Blessed, he was. And blessed are all of us he left behind.
Carroll is survived by his sister Meta Stuart Chisholm, four children: Elisabeth Glassell (John), Amie Sims (Walker), George Carroll Todd Jr (Tina), and Cecelia Todd (Edie Ervin) and ten grandchildren: Amelia Sims Mckee (Matt), Joseph Sims, Eliza Sims, Elissa Grace Todd, Austin Todd, George Carroll Todd III, Louis Todd, Ashton Glassell, Stuart Glassell (Olivia) and George Glassell.
Services will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Wednesday, February 7 with a visitation at noon and service at 1pm. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery. The family requests that memorial gifts be sent to the Elmwood Cemetery (824 S. Dudley Street, Memphis TN, 38104) or the Dixon Gallery and Gardens (4339 Park Avenue, Memphis TN, 38117).