Todd Franklin Hines

Todd Franklin Hines was born December 10, 1940, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Benjamin Franklin Hines and Mildred Christine (Wright) Hines. His childhood was spent in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Peoria and Freeport, Illinois. He was an unusually bright child and excelled in school throughout his academic career.

Todd attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, graduating in 1962 with many honors and accomplishments. He married Suzanne Sullivan in 1963 and they had two children, Todd Florence and Kathleen Marie.

Todd worked a variety of jobs in the mid-1960s, including a stint on the corporate “fast-track” with AT&T in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. This afforded him a firsthand view of the civil unrest in America. In later years, he told his children that during the Detroit civil rights rioting, he was not certain that he would make it home to see them again. The experience made a serious impact on him, deepening his lifelong commitment to civil rights and racial justice.

Todd decided to pursue a graduate degree, ultimately receiving his Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The young family moved from St. Louis to Galesburg, Illinois, for Todd’s residency at the Galesburg State Research Hospital. While there, he persuaded the faculty and staff to admit him as a patient (under strict orders to NOT take the medications) in order to truly understand the patient experience. This understanding became the foundation for his lifelong advocacy on behalf of those struggling with mental health issues. Upon completion of his doctorate, Todd accepted a public service position with the Polk County Mental Health Department and settled in West Des Moines, Iowa.

After a few years with Polk County Mental Health, Todd entered private practice and founded Psychological Associates in West Des Moines. He did considerable pro-bono work with children in the community, performed employment evaluations for The Iowa State Patrol, facilitated workshops for educators, served two terms on the West Des Moines School Board (one as president) and collaborated with Mercy Hospital’s Pastoral Counseling Center.

He taught his children to think for themselves and question authority. He encouraged them to be thoughtful and intentional in their choices, to consider all sides of an issue and to explore unconventional ways of being in the world. In order to expose them to counter culture events, as adolescents he took them to see live performances of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Kansas City and performances by Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and The Grateful Dead. Always a social justice champion, he taught them about the history of slavery and the civil rights movement. They watched "Roots" and the PBS documentary "Eyes on the Prize" as a family to learn the history of social marginalization in a way public schools didn't cover. After Todd Florence and Katie left home, Todd and Suzanne divorced in the early 1990s.

Todd married Cynthia McWilliams in 1996. The two had become acquainted while working at J. Thompson Group Home in the late 1970s, where Cynthia was staff and Todd was professional counsel to the staff. Eighteen years later, they came back together and the love they felt for each other was immediate and profound. They chose to start a life together, moved to Colorado and married immediately.

They spent the next 15 years working together, doing human resources training, corporate needs analysis, developing web-based psychological testing tools and providing medical research content. Exploring and backpacking the Western Slope of Colorado, Utah and the Olympic National Park provided years of joyful discovery together. They shared a deep love of music and attended many musical events, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Telluride Blues & Brews.

They discovered KVNF Community Radio weeks after moving to Colorado and soon became involved with the Community Advisory Board. They quickly became on-air programmers, starting as substitutes for a Friday evening show called Emotional Rescue, then creating their own overnight show (midnight to 3-4 a.m.) called Under Cover of Darkness. Eventually they also shared a rotation on a Saturday evening show called Turn It Up.

In 1998, they took over a Tuesday afternoon show called Blues & Other Colors. They wanted it to be a primer on the origins, culture and characters of the blues, a uniquely American art form. Todd’s passion and knowledge was infectiously fascinating and a loyal following ensued. Todd and Cynthia performed Blues & Other Colors together for over 26 years, until a few weeks before Todd’s death.

This labor of love was so much more than a radio show. It created an engaged community that supported Blues & Other Colors for decades, embodying the values of love, kindness and respect.

The last two years of Todd’s life were filled with great physical pain and near total immobility. Throughout this difficult, daily struggle, Todd became increasingly kind and loving. His uncertainty about his Creator grew into a deep faith and he wholeheartedly believed that the most important thing in life is love.

Although it was incredibly challenging, Todd remained in his home until he died. His son, daughter and son-in-law were at home with him and his devoted wife Cynthia was at his side. He is survived by his wife Cynthia, son Todd (Stephanie Chenard), daughter Kathleen (Vincent Naccarati) and grandson Desmond Hines.

Todd and Cynthia’s 29 years of marriage and their love for each other was the greatest blessing in their lives. As Todd said so often to Cynthia, There is no space between us.

The family of Todd Franklin Hines is deeply grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support. There will be a Celebration of his life on June 29, 2025, from 1-4 p.m. at Zenzen Gardens in Paonia, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, donations can be mailed to KVNF Community Radio, PO Box 1350, Paonia, Colorado or dropped off at 233 Grand Avenue, Paonia, Colorado.