Obituary of Todd Nelson Tubbs

Todd Nelson Tubbs, age 61, of Coates, Minnesota passed away unexpectedly Thursday, March 28, 2024 at home in Apple Valley, MN. Todd was born in Princeton, IL September 22, 1962 to Dean L. Tubbs and Joan A. (Johnson) Tubbs, the youngest of four children. Dean and Joan moved their family to Appleton, MN to raise Todd and his siblings where he was very active in sports and activities at school as well as in the community. Todd graduated high school in 1981 and loved being from Appleton and growing up on the farm. Todd loved to take things apart, fix and rebuild them. He worked on cars from an early age and began helping his dad and other local farmers repair their equipment, developing his first small business during high school. He LOVED airplanes and started private flying lessons at 15; during his first solo flight he buzzed his mom in her garden and delightedly told her later he’d earned his pilot’s license, and yes, that was him cruising over the garden. He studied aircraft maintenance at Winona Area Technical Institute 1981-1984. In August 1982 while riding his motorcycle, Todd was struck by a drunk driver and suffered multiple broken bones, head trauma and lost his right leg below the knee. School was put off for a year as he underwent several surgeries and learned to live life using a prosthetic leg. The accident caused a lot of physical pain, which led to a multitude of struggles in day-to-day life, but he persevered in all situations; he completed his studies and fell in love with and married Lisa Simonic in 1985. They moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where Todd enjoyed his passion for aircraft maintenance and where they started their family. In 1990 Todd accepted a position with Northwest Airlines and the family moved to Coates, Minnesota where they raised their four children: Melanie, Johnathan, Jackson, and Zachary. Todd loved being a parent, supporting the kids through their many sports, activities and interests including traveling with the Rosemount High School marching band and performing in the dad/daughter dance at the yearly dance recital. He volunteered at church reading stories to the youngsters and many other roles as he was needed. He also volunteered with Mel’s Girl Scout troop and the boys’ Boy Scouts as a Leader. One yearly highlight was attending Tomahawk Scout Camp with the boys every June. All of his kids reached the highest level in scouting: Mel earned the Girl Scout Gold Award; John, Jack and Zach earned Eagle Scout. Todd was so very proud of his children. During these years, Todd proudly served multiple terms as a city council member and two terms as Coates Mayor, he worked for District 196 after parting ways with NWA (Delta), and for the last seven years Todd could be found at O’Reilly’s in Rosemount. You could count on Todd to help anyone who came in with an issue; he loved the combination of helping people and solving puzzles - trouble-shooting issues with all the various makes, models and years of vehicles customers drove. Todd even used translation apps to help customers who speak a language other than English or are hearing-impaired. Todd always found time to help others with his handyman services, small engine knowledge and more due to his genuine love of his crafts and the desire to do good for others. He strongly believed God put him where he was supposed to be to help those who were in need. He was a licensed plumber, electrician, pool/spa operator, and HVAC guy. One of his favorite handyman gigs was fixing things for his church ladies, who often paid him with a warm cup of coffee, a plate of cookies and lively conversation. Todd’s memory for names and faces was almost without equal. Everywhere he went he recognized someone or was able to connect the dots to someone in common. One year Todd and family were in line for a ride at Disney World chatting with the folks around them - it turned out Todd knew a relative of the people in front of them. He was famous for recognizing names at O’Reilly’s, too. He would be assisting a customer and would say something like, “Are you related to the (non-Tubbs name) family from Marshall? I’m pretty sure your uncle played on the softball team my dad sponsored in Appleton back in the late 70’s…” Over the last 10 years Todd enjoyed spending time with his partner, Susi Yermishkin. They loved to be on the water, kayaking on local lakes and at the cabin. In true Leave No Trace scout fashion,Todd collected trash on the waterways and left places in better condition than he found them. Todd and Susi enjoyed live music and an occasional night out dancing, snowshoeing, and walks on the Old Cedar Bridge, especially during spring and fall bird migrations. Solving crossword puzzles was also a particular favorite (Todd always used a pen). Todd’s laugh was infectious, his jokes were ridiculous, and his smile was warm; there is a hole in the world and in our hearts without him. Todd is survived by his partner, Susi (LeMay) Yermishkin, Todd’s children Melanie (Tom) Webster, Jonathan (Holly) Tubbs, Jackson Tubbs, Zachary (Jessica) Tubbs and their mother, Lisa (Simonic) Tubbs, Susi’s daughters Sonya & Anya Yermishkin, his bonus family, Phyllis Nickels, Kathy LeMay, John (Lisa) LeMay and Karen (Ruth) LeMay, his siblings, Taylor (Nancy) Tubbs and Teri Amborn, as well as his large extended family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, plus many dear friends. Todd was preceded in death by his oldest brother, Tommy, his parents, Dean and Joan Tubbs, and grandparents Jeanette and Howard Johnson, and Nina and Walter “Dewey” Tubbs. In honor of Todd, all are welcome to join us in celebrating him on July 6 th , 2024, from 1pm-5pm at the Rosemount Central Park Amphitheater in Rosemount, MN (2893 145th St W, Rosemount, 55068). Bring a chair and a memory to celebrate the guy who played a part in so many lives! In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Meals On Wheels, Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans or Second Harvest Heartland.