Obituary of Ronald McMillan Todd

Dr. Ronald McMillan Todd Dr. Todd was born in Winnipeg on April 8, 1924, the eldest child to Malcolm and Dorothy Todd, and died peacefully on Monday, November 24, 2014. Ron's early life was characterized by many moves, ending up in Cleveland, Ohio where the family settled for 5 years. He enjoyed academic success while there and ran on the award winning school track team in the ½ mile event. With the US entry into World War II, Malcolm Todd moved the family, now including sister Audrey and younger brother Malcolm, back to Toronto. When enrolled at Runnymede Collegiate, he asked to borrow the science notes of a young 15-year-old classmate named Ruth Newey. In spite of the fact that she was initially forbidden to date him because of her age, Ron and Ruth started a loving relationship that was to last until Ruth's passing on August 27, 2012. In 1943, at the age of 18, Ron enrolled in the RCAF, trained as a pilot, successfully obtaining his wings just as the war was winding down. Although he never saw active duty, Ron maintained a love affair with flying that lasted the rest of his life. With the war over, Ron applied to medical school and graduated in 1951 from the University of Toronto School of Medicine and interned at St. Joseph's Hospital. He stayed at St. Joseph's for over 40 years, serving in the Family Clinic as an unpaid volunteer for the first twenty years. In 1952, he married Ruth and opened his practice at their home in Port Credit, specializing in family medicine and obstetrics. Before Mississauga Hospital opened, Ron was delivering babies at four different hospitals at the same time! He delivered countless babies in the middle of the night and cared for generations of families in the Port Credit and Toronto areas. His practice is remembered by the house calls he continued to make long after they were considered impractical by the rest of the medical community; by the personal time he took to get to know each patient individually; but most of all from the joy he took in doing his job. Ron and Ruth retired in 1998, despite the protests from his patients, to the family farm in Mono Township. Their final move was to Don Mills to be closer to the family. Ron leaves behind his daughter, Julia, son-in-law, Gary, grandchildren, Shannon, (Stephane), Patrick and Shawn and his great grandson, Finnegan. He will be remembered by his family as a gentle, quiet man, a good man and thoughtful man, never heard to raise his voice. The family wishes to thank Venus for her unfailing kindness, and the staff at Thompson House for all the care and support that they have shown Ron over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Better Living Charitable Foundation, and a note should be included saying "In memory of Dr. Ronald Todd to support Thompson House" at www.betterlivinghealth.org. Please share any thoughts and memories of Ron at www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com. You are reunited with your one true love now.