William Todd Gabbett

September 13, 1942 - January 14, 2021

William “Todd” Gabbett passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on January 14, 2021 in Ruskin, Florida. He is survived by his loving wife Jane Waters Gabbett, daughter Marjorie Gabbett DiLima, granddaughter Mackenzie Todd DiLima, and his brother Ron Gabbett. Todd is also survived by his beloved cousins, Johanna Klesh, Susie Purdue, Marybeth Jeckel, Janie Gabbett Lee, Bill Murphy, and Patty Murphy; and his niece and nephews, Angie Lowe, Michael Gabbett, and Matthew Gabbett. Todd was born on September 13, 1942, in Peoria, Illinois to parents William Gabbett and Marguerite (Anderson) Gabbett. At the ripe age of 13, Todd was made the godfather to his newly born cousin, Janie Gabbett Lee. He often said, “My name’s Todd, the son of God.” That phrase morphed over the years, depending on who he was talking to: “My name’s Todd, sounds like God. How do you like me so far?” OR “My name’s Todd, NOT God.” Todd attended West Aurora High School in Aurora, Illinois and received a full football scholarship to the University of Illinois where he played with teammate Dick Butkus and played in the 1963 Rose Bowl. In college he met his first wife and at 20 years old became a father to little Marjorie. A couple of years later, the party of 3 moved to Maryland. Todd eventually went his separate way but maintained a healthy relationship with his daughter. Todd played semi-pro football after college (Virginia Sailors), coached football at Wilson High School in Washington DC and at Catholic University. He was an avid runner, running 5 miles every day and running the Marine Corp Marathon. Todd’s true love was golf. He played daily for years and was often referred to as the guy with the short clubs. In 2014 he crashed his golf cart into an oak tree and the oak tree won and his golfing days ended. Todd was larger than life. He took over every room he walked into to. He was the life of the party. Todd was handsome (he had a strong resemblance to Burt Reynolds), smart, and possessed a wicked sense of humor and a little bit of the devil. He was generous, often changing people’s lives with his generosity. Todd was a wildly successful entrepreneur. After working in sales for many years, and selling ice to the Eskimos, he applied his sales skills to running his own business as a manufacturer’s representative called Toddson, Inc. Todd became very involved with the stock market as an investor and eventually developed his own investing strategy that he loved to teach to family and friends. Todd and Jane were married on October 11, 1990 in Bethesda, Maryland. After many years living in Maryland they retired to Ruskin, Florida. Todd and Jane were together every day for over 30 years. In his last years, Todd faced a lot of neurological pain, possibly from his time playing football, and ultimately became reliant on a wheelchair. His wife Jane took great care of him until he passed. Todd will be sorely missed. It was a better world with Todd in it – he could make you laugh so hard your belly hurt, he was so generous – always trying to help people who needed help including family, friends, and even acquaintances; and he was a good listener, giving of his time and prefacing some comments with, “In the final analysis . . .” In the final analysis, Todd was a great man, husband, father, grandfather, family member, and friend. And now, as Todd would always say, “See you in the funny papers.” A private virtual Memorial Service will be held.