Artist Channels Grief into Series 'Losing Todd: A Mother's Journey'
On September 9, 2010, Jeanne and Donn Weaver became what any parent dreads to be, part of a Gold Star family. Their son, 1st Lt. Todd Weaver, had been killed in Afghanistan. After navigating grief in their own time — with Jeanne stepping away from her beloved painting — both parents emerged to honor their son through working with veterans and creating art that impacts many. Jeanne’s paintings and permanent monuments tell the Weavers’ story.
Todd Weaver knew he would serve his country, just as his grandfathers, his father and his brother had done. His paternal grandfather was aboard the USS Nevada in support of D-Day and later Iwo Jima. His maternal grandfather was a Marine who fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Donn Weaver served on the South Korean Demilitarized Zone. Todd’s brother, Glenn, served during the first Gulf War.
A senior in high school during 9/11, Todd had promised his parents, “I don’t know how or when, but I will do something,” to help fight terrorism.
“In my opinion, 9/11 was always in the back of his mind,” Jeanne Weaver said.
In May of 2008, Todd graduated summa cum laude from the College of William and Mary, got married and was commissioned into the U.S. Army. He volunteered to join and train an artillery regiment of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. He was killed leading a platoon tasked with confirming a site where roadside bombs were being produced.
Todd’s unit was awarded the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation for combat operations.
“Todd’s death uncovered important information for his unit and saved many other military deaths,” Jeanne said.
Todd did not die in vain, but his death catapulted his parents into years of grief they coped with in very different ways.
“Within hours after Todd’s death, Donn realized he would try to lead the family, friends and the Army in ways to establish a lasting legacy for Todd and his sacrifice,” Jeanne said. “For him, there was no choice but to return to work because his job was helping prepare Americans who would go overseas to fight the terrorists behind 9/11.”
Thirteen years later, Donn spends full time volunteering at the Veterans Memorial Center.
“My focus is taking tragedy and making it legacy for all who serve,” Donn said. “If I did not work to spread Todd’s and our other heroes’ legacies, I would not live up to the legacy of my youngest son.”
Healing Through Art
Jeanne, an artist, had closed her studio the day Todd died.
“There were unfinished canvases on easels and brushes filled with dried paint,” she said.
As she listened to her husband, their three children and family and friends talk about Todd, she realized her way to honor her son’s memory lay in her art.
“Each painting came to my mind because of stories others told about Todd,” she said.
The first three paintings were of his baby shoes, his high school baseball cleats and the pair of Army boots Todd’s wife received with his personal items.
“Once I began painting, I painted full time,” said Jeanne, who would spend a year painting, with Todd’s dog, Tundra, sitting by her side.
The last work is of a moon shell Jeanne found on the beach three days after Todd’s death.
“I took the shell home that day and researched that its meaning represented eternal life,” she said. “Each composition created a haven in my journey to become whole and to feel joy.”
Jeanne always meant for the series of paintings, “Losing Todd: A Mother’s Journey,” to be shared. This April, they were exhibited at the Florida State Capitol. On Memorial Day, they were on display at the Porcher House in Cocoa Village. They also have been shown at the Orange County Convention Center, the Veterans Memorial Center, the Operation Renewed Hope Foundation in Destin, College of William and Mary, the Annual Conference of Compassionate Friends, the TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar, among other venues.
Upon Jeanne’s death, the paintings will be gifted to the Muscarelle Museum of Art of the College of William and Mary, Todd’s alma mater and where he has been honored and remembered in many ways.
“Jeanne had to feel her way through this new part of her life through her art, and what has resulted is resounding,” wrote Aaron DeGroft, former Muscarelle Museum director in the foreword to “Losing Todd: Finding Peace in my Heart,” a companion book published by the school. “It is uplifting and it is gut-wrenching, but she had to do it.”
Jeanne also designed four monuments to honor those who, like Todd, sacrificed their lives for their country. For the Veterans Memorial Center and Museum in Merritt Island, she created “Operation Enduring Freedom,” a monument to those who served and died in Afghanistan. She later designed two other monuments, “Operating Iraqi Freedom” and the “Four Immortal Chaplains and All Chaplains Monument” in memory of the Chaplain Services. For the National Cemetery in Scottsmoor, Jeanne designed “A Monument to the Fallen,” using one of the paintings in the “Losing Todd” series as a starting point. Funding for the construction of all four monuments came through grassroot donations.
The Revered Scott Holcombe, rector of St. David’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Cocoa Beach, never met Todd, but feels he knows him through Jeanne’s art.
“I catch a glimpse not only of a brave and faithful soldier, but of a loving parent seeking to freeze a memory in time and art,” he wrote.
Through the paintings, the book and the monuments, Todd Weaver has made many friends he will unfortunately never meet, but who will remember the beaming, compassionate young man brimming with goodness and promise.
“His memory and the impact he had on those who knew or have come to know him will live on,” Jeanne said.
Connect
Jeanne Weaver’s artist website
Website in memory of 1st Lt. Todd Weaver
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