Obituary of Ellen Todd

Ellen Todd, age 103, of Broken Bow, passed away Monday, February 11, 2008 at Broken Bow. On November 30, 2005, Ms. Ellen Odum Todd of Broken Bow was inducted into the Centenarian club of Oklahoma by the KEDDO Area Agency on Aging of Wilburton. She was presented with a Centenarian Certificate, a Golden Okie pin and a Guardian Angel pin. Ellen Odum was born on September 15, 1904 in Angelina Parrish in Louisiana. Ellen was the second of three children born to Lake Odum and Molly Wyner Odum. Lake Odum worked at thinning poles for an electric company and Molly was a homemaker. Ellen attended school at Bokhoma where she completed the sixth grade. At the age of fourteen, the year was 1919, Ellen Odum married Henry Todd. The couple were married for 63 happy years before Henry’s passing in 1982. Although Ellen was unable to have children due to a fever she developed in her younger years, she had a gift with wild animals. Ellen raised a baby fawn she named Nanny. She taught Nanny several tricks, one was to stand on its back leg and hop. One of the interesting things about Nanny was that she loved fried squash. Ellen also had a special dog she called “Coley” who helped protect Nanny. Another time, she found some quail eggs and had her banty hen set on the eggs for hatching and from that, the little hen raised fourteen little quail chicks as her own. Ellen’s favorite family activities were playing the piano, picking the guitar with the family and fishing. She traveled to Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas City, Missouri. Her favorite holidays were Christmas and Anniversary’s. On her 25th wedding anniversary, Henry gave Ellen a beautiful wide golden wedding band with an engraving inside. She wore the ring for over 61 years and the band was not so wide anymore. Ellen cherished that little ring. Her favorite foods were chicken and dressing, butter beans and anything sweet. Ellen was a very good cook, and could make the best cinnamon rolls ever eaten. Ellen contributed her longevity to the Lord’s will and her advice to others was to be a good Christian. To have met her was an honor. She was a very precious, beautiful little lady. She was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband, Henry Todd. Ellen is survived by her sister, Doris Spiro of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; a niece, Lucille Nelson of Broken Bow; great-nieces, Diane Ferguson of Broken Bow, Vickey Gentry of DeQueen, Linda Singleton of Terrell, Texas, Shirley LaVoy of Ft. Worth, Alice Boulton of Idabel, Ava Lee Doss of Tulsa, and Janie Nelson of Terrell, Texas; a great-nephew, James McIntyre of Idabel; numerous other nieces, nephews, distant relatives and friends.