RAINIOUS TREAVOR TODD

1906-1994

 

Rainious was the fourth child born to Levi and Etta Todd in 1906. He had two older brothers, one was deceased before he was born. Rainious’ father, Levi, was a doctor. But his license was not able to be renewed, so he had to cease practicing medicine. Rainious was the last baby that he delivered as a physician.  Although Rainious does remember his dad and Dr. Stevens of Meridian helping Mother bring his brother, Abbott in to the world in 1910. 

 

When Rainious was nine years old, his parents divorced, making living tough and all the children had to pitch in helping the farm to work and to support themselves. His oldest brother, Leo, mainly worked the farm. Rainious and his younger brother, Emery, were in charge of the pumpkin patch.

 

Leo would swim the horses over in the spring then when the ground was dry enough to work and leave them in corral and haul hay to them by boat.  Leo and Rainious worked up small patches of cleared land also and planted watermelons, corn and cantaloupes, then took them in a hay wagon with hay in the bottom (to protect the melons) to Maysville and Yuba City to sell from door to door. 

 

Rainious almost always went with Leo.  They would leave about 4 a,m. with the horses and the load of melons.  It was Abbott's and Rainious’ job to hoe and take care of the melon patches.  They would stay at the melon patches to care for them for several days at a time, eating melons and homemade bread, before going home for clean clothes.  They would walk back and forth a distance of about 1 1/2 miles.

 

Due to circumstances beyond Rainious’ control, he did not finish high school, instead he worked milking cows while in the last year of Grammar school.  He did farm work until 1951 when he met his wife to be, Myrtle Lang, of Minnesota in Sutter County. 

 

Shortly after Rainious and Myrtle were married, Rainious entered the building trade and became a licensed building contractor. He operated Todd's Cabinet Shop for many years on Butte Hse. Rd. in Sutter, retiring in the fall of 1972. 

 

There were three sons of this marriage.  Each of these boys followed his footsteps through the Brittan School.  The first son, Russell Lang, graduated from Chico State and is teaching in High School in Anderson, Calif.. Married and has two daughters.  The second son, Thomas E. also graduated from Chico State and is living in Sutter and teaching in Brittan School.  Married and has two daughters and one son.  These children also attended Brittan School, the same school their Great Grandmother, Etta Russell Todd attended when she was a little girl.  It is the same school their Grandfather and Father attended thus making the fourth generation of Russell-Todd family to attend the Brittan School.  The third son, Aubrey L., Graduated from Chico State and is teaching in Roseville, Calif.  Married and has one daughter and one son. 

 

Rainous was greatly loved and respected as was shown in his eulogy:

 

EULOGY OF RAINIOUS TREAVOR TODD

by Russell Todd

 

A rare combination of names for a rare man. A man who had little formal education, but knew and appreciated what a good education could do for a person. A man who was proud that all his children had college degrees.

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Dad was a native son of California, born in 1906, just a few miles from where he died. He never strayed far from home. Over the years, he was a ranch hand, semi-pro boxer, farmer, carpenter, cabinet-maker, businessman and outdoorsman. During World War II, he worked as a carpenter for the Pacific Bridge Company in Pearl Harbor. He was a community leader, especially in respect to the church, volunteer fire department, the cemetery board and as a school trustee. Above all, he was a husband and father. He respected all women and held his wife, Myrtle, in the highest regard.

 

In the last year, he still took roses to Mom and sang, “Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?” He opened their home to young men who needed help on their way to becoming productive adults. He was a stern taskmaster. He expected your best, both at home and at work, and was quick to both praise and discipline.

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Dad was always interested in the Todd family history and spent much time researching the family tree. He left his family a legacy in the property we know as the Mary Jane. I believe that his grandchildren and great grandchildren will come to appreciate the worth and significance of the gift.

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His element was the outdoors. He like nothing better than the challenge of outwitting a wise old buck or sharing stories around the campfire with family and friends. He taught us boys to hunt, to fish and to appreciate the outdoors. My fondest memories of him are what we call on-blanket trips. You would put some food and a blanket in your packsack and along with your rifle or fishing rod, you walked your destination. Dad had a way of making it all seem like fun. And as I look back, I realize that these were important moments that helped shape our lives.

In his later years, he always said he was setting records every day, having lived longer than any other Todd in history.

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People who knew him called him feisty and I guess that is as good a description as any. He fought the good fight, lived a good life and left the world a better place for having lived in it.

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