In Loving Memory of
Todd Lee Strannigan
October 30, 1963 – February 5, 2021
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” – Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
On February 5th, 2021, Todd Strannigan passed into eternal rest in the care of close friends in his beloved, adopted home country of Costa Rica. A soul who gleaned every ounce of experience out of life, Todd was born in Kansas City and raised on Lake Lotawana in Lees Summit, Missouri, the second child of Sandra & Dale Strannigan.
A lifelong passion for all things aquatic colored his life in a positive manner, as he excelled in swimming, skiing, diving and surfing at homes along the water in Missouri, Florida, and Costa Rica, to name a few. Todd attended Mason elementary school and Lees Summit High School, where he enjoyed playing baseball and tennis among other sports. He was also a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Todd worked as a roustabout in the oil fields of Oklahoma to help pay for his education at Mizzou, and after college held numerous positions over the years as a reporter and writer for ABC, CBS and NBC news, which included personal introductions to several U.S. presidents and other world famous newsmakers.
A person of diverse interests and abilities, Todd spoke Spanish & Portuguese , loved music and nature, traveling and Central & South American culture. To those who knew him best, Todd epitomized the notion of working hard and playing hard. Todd’s gregarious personality and gift of kindness was reflected in the numerous friendships he initiated and maintained with people from all over the world. These included his childhood friends and neighbors from Lake Lotawana, as well as friends from the United States and other countries that he met in college or in his work life. Many people Todd befriended were often welcomed into his own family when they were far away from their families of origin.
After many challenges in life, Todd settled happily in Costa Rica where he worked as an English tutor and a recruiter for the University of Costa Rica. As always, he enjoyed nature, especially the ocean, and the people around him.
Todd was preceded in grace by his sister Kelly and his first stepfather, Paul Gale.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Sandra Gale and Ralph Ford of Kansas City, and their respective children and step children; Jon and Michael Gale, John and Joel Ford, Jill Frustaci, two half-brothers, Christopher and Thomas Strannigan, a beloved cousin, Connie Bell, and longtime friend, Hennita Sikkema-Khare.
On behalf of Todd, the family expresses profound gratitude to his dear friend and caregiver Vivian Arce-Guerrero and her family, who cared for Todd through his ultimate challenge, simultaneously fighting cancer and Guillain-Barre’ syndrome.
In lieu of flowers or gifts the family encourages donations to the International Foundation for Guillain-Barre’s research which can be reached at:
https://www.gbs-cidp.org or any meaningful charity of your choice.
A very fitting tribute to Todd. He was a warm and loving person who readily welcomed the friendship of all. Being a skilled conversationalist, Todd won a diverse corps of friends throughout the country as well as internationally. He will be fondly remembered by all those who were fortunate enough to share some segment of his life.
My memories of Todd are really good ones. I desperately wanted to reconnect with him and sadly didn’t get the chance. I know he was a great guy because he was raised by a beautiful person, Sandra.