Wanda Hendrickson Todd

Wanda Hendrickson Todd, 68, passed away Aug. 25, 2014, at her home in Fulshear, Texas, surrounded by her husband of 49 years, Ronald Todd, and her children, the Rev. Rachel Poysky, Katy, Texas, and Bradley Todd, Alexandria, Va.
A memorial service will be in her honor at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, in Pine Ridge Baptist Church.
Mrs. Todd was a native of Roane County and an educator at Dyllis Elementary and Harriman's Bowers and Central Elementary Schools for nearly 30 years before relocating out of state in 1998.
The daughter of the late Bennie and Betty Strickland Hendrickson, she was the fifth generation in her family to be raised on family property in the Clack's Gap and Dickey Valley community. She and her husband, Ron, raised both their children on that family property.
Wanda was a member of Pine Ridge Baptist Church at its founding in 1960 and was its long-time organist. The church's original pastor, Rev. John Darnell, and its current pastor, Rev. Randy Roper, will officiate her memorial service.
A 1963 graduate of Harriman High School, Wanda earned her undergraduate degree at night from the University of Tennessee in 1978 while teaching full time and raising her own children. She earned a master's in education from Tennessee Tech University and also attended University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., and Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City.
A lover of classical and religious music, a quilter and a knitter, Wanda was a creative person who wrote a good deal of her own classroom materials. In her retirement, she channeled that energy to her four grandchildren and wrote customized children's books for each of them. Wanda took joy in wildflowers and birds and successfully pursued certification as a Master Gardener in Texas.
Wanda is survived by her husband, Ron; her son, Brad, 44; her daughter, the Rev. Rachel Poysky, 40; her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Todd; and her son-in-law, Dr. James Poysky; four grandchildren, ranging in ages from 5-11; nephews, Tyler and Jeremy Hendrickson, both of Long Beach, Calif., Dr. Ruth Ann Nevils, Rolla, Mo., and many extended family members.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and her brothers, David and Larry.
She requested memorial donations be made to Coach to Cure MD (www.CoachToCureMD.org), a national charity initiative started by her two children involving America's football coaches to further research to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a lethal genetic disorder affecting Wanda's grandson.