Lost my best Mopar buddy yesterday

[bull]

My friend Todd, who recently moved from Eastern Oregon to Clarkston, Washington died suddenly of heart failure at his home yesterday. I don't know for sure how old he was but I think he was around 45. It's very weird and shocking because he was always in shape, worked out and jogged, watched what he ate and everything and then I guess not too long ago he started telling his wife he was having occasional pains in his chest. He didn't like going to the doctor so he kept putting it off/ignoring it and now I guess that probably killed him.

Back in around 1984 I drove my '70 Charger to a Big A auto parts store and found Todd working behind the counter. He saw my Charger and came out to have a look and that's when he told me he had a '66 Charger 383, a '70 Challenger R/T SE 383 and a '71 Cuda 340. We became very good friends over the years and I almost always stopped to see him and talk Mopars, eat out, stay the night at his house, etc., whenever I went back to my home town for a visit.

He was a very friendly guy, always upbeat and positive and absolutely loved Mopars. He hardly ever worked fewer than 60 hours a week as long as I knew him. I'll miss him.

Here's his cars. The top picture shows all three of his classics (not the old blue car) and the second is his Challenger in a local car show. If you look close you can just make out the hood scoops he put on his '66. Someone was asking about those and this is the only picture I can find of it.

[Charger_Fan]

Damn, that sucks!

I hope his family will be ok.

[mikepmcs]

I'm really sorry Bull.  It hurts alot when your friends, or anyone for that matter, that you know suddenly passes.  Just try to be supportive of his family if that is possible and try to help them and you will both help each other get through this. 
I'm very sorry, once again.

v/r
Mike

[tan top]

 thats sad , sorry to hear that ( Bull)  about loseing you long time mopar bud . life is so cruel at times . 

[bull]

Damn, that sucks!

I hope his family will be ok.

Financially I think they'll be fine. Todd and Lisa had two sons but they are both out of high school now (I think the youngest will graduate this spring) and Lisa recently finished learning a trade as an EMT and is working so in that sense they were lucky to not have small children. They have a lot of family support too but they obviously still need prayer to cope with the loss. I'm still in shock.

[andy74]

sorry to hear it man,his family will be in my prayers tonight

[472 R/T SE]

Hey Curtis.

Sorry to hear this man.  I'm sure he was a good guy to be a friend of yours.
Thoughts and prayers for his family and you.

You just never know.

[6pkrunner]

Damn shame, so young and all. Good thing we never know when I time comes. I hope his family weathers the loss. To have money is great, but still a huge loss.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Sorry to hear it Curtis.  My condolences to his family.

[jackel440]

Bull,  sorry to hear  about your friend.We will have the family in our prayers.I know you lost a friend ,but like you we all lost another Mopar brother.
cowboy up

[firefighter3931]

Sorry to hear this news Curtis.    My condolences to you and his family. 


Ron

[nh_mopar_fan]

Sorry to hear that.

[Blown70]

Very sad.....

Tom

[Charger-Bodie]

pass along  regards , that sucks and at only 45ish

[red72chrgr]

Very sorry to hear that Bull. Not trying to be a jerk, maybe you could get one of his rides and do him honor by keeping it going?

[Mean 318]

Thats too bad, I wish you and his family the best!

[bull]

Very sorry to hear that Bull. Not trying to be a jerk, maybe you could get one of his rides and do him honor by keeping it going?

Todd gave the Cuda and Challenger to his two sons already but he was storing them until they each had a stable to keep them safe and dry. Todd was trying to sell the '66 but he wasn't trying very hard. There were a few times I thought about buying it but could never justify it with my '68 being unfinished. He and his whole family on his wife's side worked together for years running a Dodge dealership before selling it so they will take care of whatever might happen with the cars. He's had all three of them since the late '70s and early '80s. I don't think he paid more than $5k for that Challenger.

Anyway, you're right, it would be cool to keep that '66 for sentimental reasons but I'm not going to say anything to them about it. It would be too weird and out of line. He told me a lot of stories about that car and gave me a few rides in it. We hardly ever got to go cruising because he was always working but I did get a ride in all three of those cars. When Todd was a teenager he said that he and his brother would sneak the Charger out by rolling it down the street before starting it so their dad wouldn't hear it go. Then when they came back they'd get a run at the hill, kill it and coast into the driveway. He bought it from his dad who bought it used in '68.

[MorePwr]

Sorry to hear that Bull. It's hard losing friends...45  that's just not right

[Shakey]

Hang in there Bull.   

[red72chrgr]

I understand completely Bull.  Again, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

[Brock Samson]

i'm sorry too Bull... 

[chargerrt]

I'm soory to hear that.  I have lost a few close friends and family in the past year too...

[69bronzeT5]

Sorry about the loss Bull. I hope your doing alright.

-Cody

[ck1]

Sorry to hear that Bull, makes me think though any of us guys here who have been puttin off a doctors visit and are over 40, better get your azz in for some regular check ups, there is other things that can creep up on you when your this age that can kill your a little later on in life like prostraight cancer and that runs in my family and allot of other people......there I will stop preaching............

P.S. bad spelling runs in the family too..............

[Mean 318]

Very sorry to hear that Bull. Not trying to be a jerk, maybe you could get one of his rides and do him honor by keeping it going?

Todd gave the Cuda and Challenger to his two sons already but he was storing them until they each had a stable to keep them safe and dry. Todd was trying to sell the '66 but he wasn't trying very hard. There were a few times I thought about buying it but could never justify it with my '68 being unfinished. He and his whole family on his wife's side worked together for years running a Dodge dealership before selling it so they will take care of whatever might happen with the cars. He's had all three of them since the late '70s and early '80s. I don't think he paid more than $5k for that Challenger.

Anyway, you're right, it would be cool to keep that '66 for sentimental reasons but I'm not going to say anything to them about it. It would be too weird and out of line. He told me a lot of stories about that car and gave me a few rides in it. We hardly ever got to go crusing because he was always working but I did get a ride in all three of those cars. When Todd was a teenager he said that he and his brother would sneak the Charger out by rolling it down the street before starting it so their dad wouldn't hear it go. Then when they came back they'd get a run at the hill, kill it and coast into the driveway. He bought it from his dad who bought it used in '68.

Thats awesome! Love the old stories!

[694spdRT]

Bull,

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. 45 is way too young too go. My sympathies to his family.

[skip68]

Sorry to hear that bull.  Take care.       Chuck..................

[my73charger]

Sorry to hear that Bull.  My thoughts and prayers are with you and his family.

[Manfred318]

Sorry to hear about your friend. I know how it is to loose a good friend so unexpectedly like that. My best friend was murdered 2 years ago.    It will hurt for a while but, the more you sit back and think about all the good times you have had over the years the better you will feel about it. Tonite sit back have a cold one in honor of your buddy and remember all the good times.

[moparjohn]

Sorry about the loss of your friend, sometimes life isn't fair. 45 is like the half way mark of the race. Prayers for you and his family. John

[dads_69]

Sorry about your friend Bull. Never an easy thing dealing with death,especially the sudden wons, part of life but still, sad to hear news like so. I lost a dear friend Dec' 3rd 2006 I still can't bring myself to talk about her.
Mark

[69-DodgeCharger]

Todd was a teenager he said that he and his brother would sneak the Charger out by rolling it down the street before starting it so their dad wouldn't hear it go. Then when they came back they'd get a run at the hill, kill it and coast into the driveway. He bought it from his dad who bought it used in '68.

Lmao I have done that a few times to sneak out of the house! Very stealthy lol didnt get caught

[PocketThunder]

My Uncle died of a heart attack at age 42.  Same story that you describe, he was having chest pains and was too stubborn to go to the doctor.  Then one day at work he fell over and didnt recover.

[69-DodgeCharger]

Yeah its not cool losing people you know. I have lost some people close to me early in my life already...its really sad when it happens and im really bummed out for a while but bounce back. Just over this last weekend someone at our school committed suicide by hanging herself in her basement, tragic story. Back on Thanksgiving day another classmate of mine committed suicide by jumping off of an overpass onto a highway. Another tragic story     

[Silver R/T]

My condolences

[70charginglizard]

Sorry to hear you lost a good friend Bull. He sounded like a very cool dude.
I know how it is. I myself have lost a good mopar bud a couple years ago but it must have been really shocking to hear some one under 50 doing something like that. I guess you never know. Thats why it's so important to live each day like it might be your last. 

RIP Todd

[TruckDriver]

Sorry about your friend Curtis. 




BTW, I have chest pains all the time too, but they keep telling me it's acid reflux. I don't really believe it. Seems more like gas to me, but no gas-ex pills work. I did have acid reflux at one time, but not for over a year now. The chest pain thing scares me once in a while too. And I'm only 42. So, if I stop posting for a long time all a sudden.......

[Chryco Psycho]

sad to hear , I guess we never know how long we have here

[Plumcrazy]

Very sad news Curtis, my condolances.

[TeeWJay426]

Sorry to hear that, Bull. His family and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[Arthu®]

My condolences to you and his family. 45ish is just too young.

Arthur

[Neal_J]

Condolences on your loss, Bull.

Neal

[BigBlockSam]

sorry to hear about your friend Bull . i hope his family will be ok. Rene

[bull]

We got back from the funeral in Lewiston, ID late Saturday night and then I had to get up at 4:30 to get to work on Sunday. We put about 650 miles on the new Durango but it did very well, even through some fog that was thicker than molasses. It was too much driving to endure in a 30-hour period (basically 325 miles there, spend the night, go to the funeral and 325 miles back) but it obviously pales in comparison to what my buddy's family is going through.

It was very odd to see him lying there in the coffin. Just didn't seem right but it was a very good ceremony and the pastor did a great job of telling his story and giving his friends and family hope. He would have turned 45 in May. Mopars were a very big part of his life as evidenced by the pictures of all the cars in the slide show, up front and in the handout we all got. They even parked his Challenger out by the front door of the church. RIP buddy.