My Eulogy for Todd
by Stan Chew

1979 was an El Nino year, and it brought good surf to New Hampshire. This was when I first met Todd. He paddled out on a cold, double overhead day at low tide Rye Rocks, in a dive suit with the zipper closed by safety pins, on a really beat longboard. Just a total piece of crap. He went straight into the pit as a mackin set arrived and lip launched on a 12 foot face, free fell, slapped landed in the trough, threw his arms over his head hard and went vertical straight back up the face, backside. His board was so nasty it had an old style skeg and this thing just popped out at the top of the wave as he committed his top turn. He spun a 360 helicopter, then floater-ed on canopy of the barrel as he re-entered, landed it, then switched foot to go goofy, riding to the inside where he kicked out. He didn't claim a thing.....

Todd and I lived together for 3 years, both of us struggling to make a go at life. He was a new bussiness owner with C-Street Subs and the summer had rained like 9 weekends out of 10 that year. We lived in my house out on the island and Todd clammed 3 days a week for food. The other days, he pulled mussels out of the little shoal at the end of the street. There was always a pail of clams outside the door and spaghetti on the stove. This is how he got by until the weather cleared and he could start up the sub shop.

I have more stories about Todd than almost any other friend. The reason being Todd lived his life more fully than anyone I know. Ask Robin about the "Bank Incident". Ask anybody about his legendary fight-for-parking-rights with the beach police. About his taking on the zoning board when they approved the McDonalds just outside of a residential area on route 1, not far from his own business.

Todd and I traveled for surf to Nova Scotia 25 years ago, before it was a cool thing to do. He had already been there years before that, going alone, not sure of where he was going - he just went. He was revered up there, everybody knew him. About 15 years ago, Tood went to Newfoundland, again, alone. He brought me back pictures of some really hardcore slabs that he had surfed.......

He went alone for months at a time to Australia, and God knows where else. In my own travels abroad, twice I met people who knew Todd in Australia. And as the winter turned towards spring, there was Todd, showing up on my doorstep before the beach season with stories and pictures and his crazy smile, talking while he moved his head, looking at you with piercing blue eyes, finishing his sentences with a laugh.

Todd was in many a spiritual person. He talked about things that were of a spiritual nature without the pretense of Godliness. He read interesting books, he had something to say. Todd was "interesting" to talk to and I always felt I gained something special through our long conversations.......

The news of Todd's death has hit me like a ton of bricks and the last few days have been filled with thoughts of Todd, and in general, how he lived his life.

Of all the people I have known, Todd Ross was uniquely the most honest - he said it like he saw it, even if it was painful or confrontational. This did not endear him to everybody but you knew where you stood, and usually, he was right.

Todd Ross lived life on his terms - not selfishly, but deliberately. He lived life fully and with no fear or hang-ups about the outcome......that is not to say he was not responsible nor thoughtful about his life's future - after all, he had his business and had a massive work ethic.

In essence, he was amazingly confident going through life - not arrogant, but confident.

In his day, as a surfer, he was New Hampshire's most creative guy in the water - period. Others may have been more graceful, or had a style that was closer to what is in the latest magazine - but when the surf got big, Todd threw down lines that were uniquely his alone....Fearless, often reckless and always looking for the most critical part of the wave to blowup. Those of us that surfed with Todd know this to be true.

He never would surf 10th street because that's where the photogs were that day, or the cool-guy-clique was down there. He'd rather go someplace where the waves were better, more critical, and surf alone. I never saw him claim a move, a wave, or anything.

If there is a purpose in his death, and I think there is, it is in the notion that a death of a friend presents a mirror for us all - it reflects our own character as we remember his character. Perhaps, this can lead us all to being true to our selves. If that is the case, that is a wonderful purpose.

I suggest to all that Todd's death should remind us of how precious our individual nature is. To take more risks, to be more creative in life. Todd should remind us that principals, and fighting for them, even if the outcome is sketchy, is the path to integrity. Those of us who know Todd know that he lived his principals. Todd should remind us that your travel through life is one that is ultimately done alone - take sometime, be reflective, be quite, be alone, and get to know yourself and prehaps, the spiritual world that is larger than youself.

All of the weight of the world today will be borne easier for you with these virtues that Todd seemed to come by so natureally. Thank you brother for showing the way.

Lastly....my faith is such that right now, God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddah and several Hindu Gods are sitting in an SUV with the heat blasting, looking out over a cobbelstone reef, low tide, with a dusting of snow capping the dark brown rocks from a strong Nor'Easter moving off shore. The sky is clearing and the first wave of a three wave set is jacking. All the guys in the SUV give a collective "Yeooowwww, who's that???" as a surfer drops in, fin first, spins his board as he switches stance in the most critical section of the wave and nails the bottom turn. God says "that's that new guy I was talking about, Todd. He is going raise the bar boys".

Surf hard my brother....God bless you.

Stan Chew







They say that a friend dying is a mirror of reflection as to your own character.