Gerald "Jerry" Ellis Todd

Gerald "Jerry" Ellis Todd passed away suddenly at home on December 27, 2021 due to a cardiac arrest. He was 78 years old and had been a resident of Yucaipa since 1983 when he moved to Yucaipa from Riverside, CA, with his wife, Sherry, of 6 months. Jerry was born on August 24, 1943 in Martin's Ferry, Ohio. His family moved to Riverside when he was 8 years old, and Jerry spent most of the remainder of his life in the Inland Empire.

Jerry grew up attending Riverside Christian Church and graduated with the class of 1961 from Riverside Polytechnic High School. He completed two years of college at Riverside City College before being drafted into the U.S. Army on April 6, 1965. During the 21 months of Jerry's enlistment, he was proud to have elevated in rank from PVT E-1 to SGT E-5. He completed his course training at Fort Sam, Houston, Texas, before being deployed to Korea and serving as a Preventative Medical Specialist for the duration of his enlistment.

Blessed with a rewarding and successful career in financial services, Jerry started out with Bank of America and then later moved to American Savings & Loan, managing their Buena Park and Hollywood Branch offices. He served the Buena Park community as Director of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the Rotary Club, and Vice President of the Buena Park Boys' Club. After making a move to Anaheim Savings in 1978 as a commissioned loan officer, Jerry decided he liked the freedom of making his own hours, so he left his job as a salaried position and never looked back. In March of 1980, Jerry met his wife, Sherry, through mutual friends. Soon after, when Anaheim Savings sold off their satellite loan offices, Jerry and Sherry purchased the Riverside office and named it Old World Mortgage Co. In 1984 Jerry sold Old World Mortgage Co. and entered the up-and-coming industry known as the check cashing business. He opened his first Cash Plus check cashing store in Riverside in 1985. He later obtained the necessary approvals to sell franchises of Cash Plus and expanded to 17 stores before selling the whole chain in 1996 in order to retire and spend time with his wife and family.

By 1996 when Jerry retired, his three children were 8 years old. His wife, Sherry, and their triplet children, Austin, Taylor and Ethan, were the best part of his life. He was extremely thankful and proud of his family. In retirement, Jerry was an active member of the Yucaipa sports community where he coached countless Little League and Yucaipa Youth Basketball teams over the years. He was one of the original coaches volunteering at the time Yucaipa Youth Basketball become independent from the City of Yucaipa. That first year in 1998, Jerry helped recruit enough girls in his daughter's age bracket for the league to have four 2nd/3rd grade girl's basketball teams, thereby enabling the girls to play on girl's teams rather than boys. Jerry also coached several Yucaipa All-star baseball teams. When Yucaipa had their first Intracity District Baseball Tournament between the National League and the American League, Jerry coached the American League Mariner's to their Major Division's first intracity championship. Some of his best memories during retirement came from the coaching of his kids and many of their friends whom he helped transition from their youth to early adulthood and in whom he inspired confidence and a healthy, competitive team spirit. Jerry took pleasure in reminiscing over these teams and players, and he was known to still laugh out loud at some of those memories years later. Jerry was a good man, a good husband, father, son and friend.

Jerry enjoyed 25 years of retirement before joining our Lord. He is survived by his wife and love of 39 years, Sherry Todd; his daughter, Taylor Todd of Scottsdale, AZ; his sons Ethan Todd (fiancé Angela) of Banning and Austin Todd (Janaee) of Yucaipa; three grandsons, Jaxon, Jacen and Jameson Todd; sister-in-law, Pamela Amante of St. Petersburg, FL; brothers-in law, Robert Hunt (Teri) of McCall, ID and John Marshall (Billie) of Eagle, ID; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jerry was preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Irene Todd (1985), his father, Benjamin Ellis Todd (1975), his sister Elizabeth Jean Peyton (2010), and his sister Patricia Ellen Bowen (2019).

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held for Jerry at The Ark-Redlands Church of the Nazarene, 1307 E. Citrus Ave., Redlands, on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11:00am.

Online condolences may be made at www.wiefelsmortuary.com.
 

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