Todd was born an only child in Hartford, Connecticut in November 1964.He loved and adored his mother Agnes Bell. He also loved his father, Thomas Lee Hart. He lived in Connecticut until he was reconnected with his daughters in 2014. He relocated suddenly to Missouri so he could be close to his 2 daughters, Brandylynn Hoeing and Jordin Ruffcorn, 2 sons-in-law, Shelby Hoeing and Andrew Ruffcorn, and his 5 grandchildren, Izzy, Atticus, Amzi, Nixie, and Atlas.
Todd dealt with mental illness since 1991; he needed family around him. Not just cause its family but as he would say, “they care for me, I am safe and they help me.” He lived with his youngest daughter, Jordin Ruffcorn, and her husband, Andrew Ruffcorn, for his first year in MO. He started doing the best he had ever done and was able to move into his own place at Briarwood Gardens in Grandview MO. He made great friends; they all called him Buddy because he was a Buddy to everyone. He would talk about the apartment managers, Amber and Brooke, saying they were nice, caring and kind to him. The friends he met would tell his daughter about their shared, sweet memories.
He graduated high school in 1988 then went to trade school to study Mechanics. In 1991, his life took a turn for a new way of living. He was diagnosed with mental illness, but he didn’t let the illness stop him. He looked through a new lens and kept going with life. He never gave up even in what we see as a storm. He excelled in loving people. He loved shopping, going for daily coffee trips, and giving his last dime to a stranger. He would give the shirt off his back for any person and would share the few dollars he had left for the children who have no toys for Christmas. He gave the holiday gift cards he was given to people in need. He always had such a discerning spirit. He would lighten up the days with humor, his sky-blue eyes, and his smile. His heart was overflowing with love no matter who the person was.
Todd loved his home church of City life. He would share how they loved him so well and really liked his friends there. He would rave about the worship and the coffee, of course. He was a man of few words, but on the days he felt like talking, he would share with his daughter about what heaven looked like. When he had his hard times, he was reminded Jesus was with him. Todd had a dear friend, Gretchen Boyer, his ex-wife. They would talk about the old days, shared their memories and were friends who had each other’s back. He left an impact on her with how loving, selfless and kind-hearted he was.
Todd would always share about one of the closest people when talking to others. He would talk about Brandylynn Hoeing, his oldest daughter. He would chuckle and say she was a fireball, and a fighter for justice and love. He knew she loved him to the moon and back. He would always say her home cooking was just like his mother’s. He would protect her and have her back when she was a teenager. Brandylynn loved listening to Bob Marley with her dad blaring in the car stereo. The memories of how he would always buy her new shoes for her birthday warmed her heart. They were always “fly” as he would say. He would share his concerns for her health when she delivered his grandbabies. He never wanted anything to happen to his dearly loved daughter. He always wanted to make sure he could get ahold of her and make sure her cellphone was working 100%.
Todd would say each daughter had an impact on him, and each of them had their quirks. His youngest daughter, Jordin Ruffcorn, was his baby. She would sing songs to him as a little girl and organize his room. One of her favorite memories is counting his pennies that he would end up giving her. The day she picked him up to bring him home her little girl dream came true. He always said when he would go grocery shopping with his daughter he ate the organic girl lettuce like Jordin, a warm inside joke between the two. We would always joke about quinoa being Todd’s favorite food, which would make him laugh. He loved going on errands with Jordin, going on coffee dates and food prepping at his house. His daughter will never forget his first church Sunday in MO; he was in awe and tears to hear her sing on the worship team, and he would rave about her dancing. He always knew his daughter cared; he would always call or reach out to Jordin when he had his hard times, mentally. He shared that his youngest daughter would comfort him; she was the one that knew how. Jordin would say her dad impacted her in showing her selfless, deep love and to never assume anything about a person because you never know their life or heart. No matter what life may throw at you it’s all on the lens you look through that determines your quality of life.
Family was everything to him. He was blessed with 5 grand babies. He would tell everyone he came across about these little gems; he was the world’s greatest “Grampa”. His face would light up when sharing memories with them. He would go to the pumpkin patch, pick out pumpkins and buy his pumpkin sippers. He would sing along to the tunes at the dance recitals. He would come to each one of their birthday parties, blow the party blowers and have a blast. He would be the first to offer to help open a new toy so he could see them enjoy their present. Todd would cherish the hand drawn pictures and hugs from his grand babies. He cherished his grandbabies with all his heart.
Todd’s heart would dance with the tunes. Todd loved music; it would touch his soul in a way ordinary words didn’t. He would love to see his 2 fur babies, Titan and Silas, who were always so happy to see him. He would always check up on them to make sure their ok. He loved tinkering on things that needed to be fixed. Todd always had every bolt and lightbulb you would ever need. Todd was a funny guy. He would pick out the best outfits, looking “fly”, as he’d say. His shoes were always clean-as-a-whistle and hats were always in perfect shape. Todd relaxed watching TV shows, rearranging his room and occupying his time with tinkering. He was “Mr. Fix It”, as he’d say.
Todd has left his mark in Missouri for his big heart and willingness to help those in his community. Whether it was for a battery, light switch, TV or just a laugh, he was always there when you needed him. Everyone had a friend in Todd.
