Husband of teacher who died before Christmas donates her pension to charity
Judith Todd taught at Norwich High School for Girls for 15 years. - Credit: Brain Tumour Research
The husband of a teacher who died just days before Christmas has donated £18,000 of her pension to help fund research into the disease that killed her.
David Todd’s wife, Judith Todd, died at their Norwich home on December 22, more than four years after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
The Sunderland-born retired maths teacher, who taught at Norwich High School for Girls for 15 years, had suffered persistent headaches leading up to her brain tumour diagnosis and underwent three debulking operations, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.
Judith and David Todd. - Credit: Brain Tumour Research
The mother-of-three suffered a stroke during her last surgery on Valentine’s Day in 2020 which left her paralysed down her left-hand side.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, she was forced to spend much of her initial three-month recovery in medical facilities alone.
The former Framingham Earl parish councillor was reunited with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 39 years for seven months before passing away at the age of 61.
From left to right: Judith, Andrew, Hannah, Rebecca and David Todd. - Credit: Brain Tumour Research
Mr Todd said: “People deal with grief in different ways but we’re determined to live life as best we can because it’s what she would have wanted.
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“She always took life as it came and made the most of it.”
Judith and David Todd. - Credit: Brain Tumour Research
The 63-year-old widower has made a sizeable donation to Brain Tumour Research, with £18,000 coming from the remainder of his wife’s pension, and thousands of pounds more from contributions made at her funeral as well as his involvement in the charity’s Walk of Hope in September.
He said: “Judith had a teacher’s pension which she took at the age 60 but was only in receipt of for about 18 months before she died.
"One of the provisions in the pension scheme is if you die within the first five years of receiving it, they pay the balance of the pension you would have had for the remaining time left.
Husband of Norwich teacher, Judith Todd, who died just days before Christmas has donated £18,000 of her pension to help fund brain tumour research. - Credit: Brain Tumour Research
“Luckily I’m retired, I’ve got a good pension and don’t need the money, so I thought giving it to Brain Tumour Research would be a better use of it.
“I was attracted to the research element of the charity because of Judith’s scientific background and I think knowing it’s not one of the bigger cancer charities appealed because I know how underfunded brain tumour research is.”
