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Cathy Wurzer

Parting thoughts: King of the hobos catches the westbound

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Todd “Adman” Waters on the road
Todd "Adman" Waters on the road, 1985.
Lee Snyder

Todd Waters lived a full life.

Dori Molitor and Todd Waters cruising on Lake Minnetonka
Dori Molitor and Todd Waters cruising on Lake Minnetonka, 2011.
Courtesy of Dori Molitor

Actually, he lived two full lives.

During most of the year, he was a successful advertising executive, a father and a husband. He lived with his family in a lovely house on Lake Minnetonka in the western suburbs of Minneapolis.

But every spring he would get antsy with wanderlust and feel compelled to head out in search of new adventures.

He crisscrossed the entire country by sneaking onto freight trains and earning the nickname "Adman" from his fellow travelers. For that part of the year, he was a hobo.

Todd "Adman" Waters passed away — or, as the hobos, say "caught the westbound train" — on July 7 at age 69.

His wife, Dori Molitor, fully accepted his hobo life.

They met while working on a political campaign soon after Waters returned home after two years on the road. She said it was on that trip that he learned how to hop freight trains after being arrested in Wyoming for hitch-hiking.

Molitor talked about her husband's life with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer. Use the audio player above to listen.