Todd Brian Williamson

New London - Todd Brian Williamson, 30, of New London, peacefully left this earth surrounded by family and friends on July 7, 2010, after his courageous fight with cancer. Todd was an amazing young man who accomplished more in his short 30 years than most people do in a longer lifetime. He made friends easily and loved them all without reservation. He was a wonderful son, a loving and proud husband and father, a protective big brother, a proud firefighter, a hero to some, and a friend to all.

Todd was born on March 21, 1980, in San Diego, Calif. He was the greatest and only son to Kenneth Williamson of New Britain and Christine Williamson of North Stonington. Besides his parents, he is survived by his sister, Erin and her husband, Dana Patoine, of South Carolina, as well as their child and Todd's newest nephew, Emmett Fox Patoine. Todd is also survived by his loving wife of three years, Cait-Len Merritt Williamson. He was an amazing father to his seven year old daughter, Lilly Renee and ten month old son, Tyler Matthew. Todd will be greatly missed by his in-laws, Michael and Mari Merritt of Niantic and their adult children, Rachel, Ericka, Jonathan, and Bethany. Additionally, he will be missed by his many nieces and nephews whom he loved. Todd is also survived by his maternal grandmother, Rose Monahan of Bristol; and his five aunts, Maureen Mills, Sheila Moffett, Gerry Monahan, Theresa Hammond, and Jody McPherson, as well as their families. Todd will be missed by his cousins with whom he shared a close bond. He was always there for them. Todd also leaves behind his "brothers" from the fire service who he loved and who meant the world to him.

He was predeceased by his "Pa" Thomas Monahan; grandparents, Nevada and Kenneth Williamson; his grandmother-in-law, "Gammy" Genevieve Pescatello; and his uncle, Larry Mills.

Todd loved the outdoors and one of his favorite memories was walking the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine with the Boy Scouts. He also enjoyed mountain biking, backpacking, and most of all, sharing a drink or two with a friend.

At the age of 15, Todd's dream of becoming a firefighter/EMT was realized when he joined the North Stonington Volunteer Ambulance Association where he served a term as president. Shortly thereafter, Todd's career and strong desire to help others flourished once he became active in the North Stonington Fire Company.

Upon his graduation from Wheeler High School in 1998, Todd made the transition from volunteer to full time when he began working with the Groton Ambulance Association. Todd also worked for Mystic River Ambulance as an EMT and volunteered for various fire departments throughout Southeastern Connecticut. He attended Three Rivers Community College where he received a certificate for completion of the paramedic course. Todd continued at Three Rivers where he worked toward his degree in fire science technology while working full time. Todd was a career firefighter/EMT at Mohegan Tribal Fire Department from March 2001 to 2003. He was then sworn in as a career firefighter/EMT for Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department in Groton, where he served as both a firefighter and acting captain. Todd also worked for the Preston Fire and Emergency Services on a part time basis.

Todd took pride in implementing public education programs for Fire Prevention and Life Safety. These programs were provided for all schools, daycares, and senior centers in the Groton District. Todd was well received throughout the community, and all of the children in Groton knew and loved "Fireman Todd". On Jan. 22, 2010, Todd was recognized for the Meritorious Service for his role in providing quality public education to the members of the community. Firefighter Todd Williamson worked diligently to expand this program to become the largest, most encompassing educational program in the history of the department. The Meritorious Citation is provided to honor individuals within the department as a tribute to their personal sacrifice to make the community a safer place from fire and the tragedies of human suffering. He also helped to make Preston a Heart Safe Community by helping to setup and teach CPR to their community.

In February of 2003, Todd welcomed his daughter, Lilly, to the world. The following year, he and Caity met while attending Three Rivers Community College. They connected immediately realizing their love for each other. The two were inseparable, and Cait-Len embraced Lilly wholeheartedly. Three years later on Oct. 5, 2007, the couple married at St. Agnes Church in Niantic. Their love continued to grow, and they welcomed their son, Tyler Matthew Williamson, in August 2009. His family always came first. As he would say of himself, "Family man, Fireman".

The family and fire service together will greet relatives and friends from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, at Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Ocean Ave., New London. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2010, at St. Joseph Church, 149 Montauk Ave., New London. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery in New London. Friends are invited to join the family in a celebration of Todd's life, which will be held at the Groton Elks Club.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Todd's memory may be made to The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline MA 02445, Attn: Contribution Services or online at dana-farber.org. Donations may also be made to the Swim Across the Sound Program at St. Vincent's Medical Center Foundation, 2800 Main St., Bridgeport CT 06606.

Special thanks to the numerous people who touched Todd's life and the lives of his family. The amount of love, support, and assistance from the many local fire departments, community organizations, and businesses during the past four months has been greatly appreciated and will never be forgotten. The Williamson family would like to thank the staff from the Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Hospital for their dedication to Todd's care. Throughout the four months that Todd was treated for this rare type of cancer, he declared it his personal mission to help find a cure. Through his participation in experimental clinical trials, it would be Todd's hope that medical professionals would come one step closer to finding a cure.

Please visit www.neilan-funeralhome.com to sign the family's online guestbook.