Obituary of Fred Dodson

FRED LEMONDE DODSON PASSED AWAY ON MAY 3RD 2015, OF AGE RELATED CAUSES. FRED WAS BORN AUGUST 19TH, 1924, IN MERRILL, OREGON, TO JOHN WRILEY DODSON AND MARJORIE DELIA POPE DODSON. HE WAS THE MIDDLE OF THREE CHILDREN, GEORGE WHO PRECEEDED HIM IN DEATH AND JOAN OF EUGENE.HE SPENT HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD ON THE POPE RANCHES, THE HOOVER DAM AND ALL AMERICAN CANAL PROJECTS BEFORE THE FAMILY MOVED TO EUGENE. HE GRADUATED EARLY FROM EUGENE HIGH SCHOOL AND ENTERED THE ARMY AIR CORP. AFTER FLIGHT TRAINING HE WAS ASSIGNED AS A PILOT/FLIGHT ENGINEER ON B-29’S. HE CONTINUED HIS LOVE OF FLYING, OWNING SEVERAL AIR PLANES AND PILOTING HIS OWN UNTIL HIS LATE 80’S.AFTER THE WAR HE ATTENDED AND GRADUATED WITH A DEGREE IN GEOLOGY FROM THE U OF O WHERE HE MET HIS FUTURE WIFE, MARY BARNUM. THEY WERE MARRIED APRIL 29TH, 1950 IN EUGENE. MARY PASSED AWAY AUGUST 12TH, 2014. THEY HAD THREE SONS: JIM, PAT, AND DAN.FRED WORKED FOR THE ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS AS A GEOLOGIST ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOKOUT POINT, DEXTER, AND HILLS CREEK DAMS. HE LATER WORKED FOR 18 YEARS AT BARNUM TOOL COMPANY BEFORE PURCHASING MID-STATE INDUSTRIAL SERVICE, A VERY SMALL SWEEPING COMPANY IN 1970. HE SUCCESSFULLY GREW AND EXPANDED THAT BUSINESS UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1995.HE AND MARY ENJOYED FAMILY, TRAVELING, FLYING, WORKING IN HIS SHOP, AND THEIR HOME IN PLEASANT HILL OF MORE THAN 50 YEARS.THEY ARE SURVIVED BY THEIR SONS, THEIR SON’S WIVES, 7 GRANDCHILDREN, 8 GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, HIS SISTER JOAN, AND HIS SISTER –IN-LAW SALLY ZEHRUNG.