Douglas Lee Dodson

*** UPDATE*** Doug Dodson, 78, of Waco, passed away July 3, 2020.  Due to the conditions of the pandemic at this time, the family chose to wait for a safer time to honor him. This amazing man will be celebrated on June 12, 2021 at 1 pm at Grace Gardens Funeral Home. We, his wife and children, hope all of his friends and extended family will be there to share stories of Doug. Grace Gardens Funeral Home is located at 8220 Woodway Dr, Woodway, TX 76712.

Doug was born Sept 16, 1941 in Muskogee, Oklahoma to Carl and Carolyn (Webster) Dodson.  He graduated from Central High School in Muskogee, OK in 1959, Oklahoma State University in 1964 and the University of Dallas with his MBA.

When he was 12, Doug lost his right arm to infection.  He did not let that slow him down. He became an Eagle Scout and then went on to college. Graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering, he was the first college graduate in his family.

Doug thrived on professional challenges from putting man on the moon to keeping peace in the middle east.  After graduation from college, he went to work for McDonnel Douglas.  Starting in California and then moving to Florida working on the space programs starting with Gemini staying through Apollo and Skylab.

In 1974, he came to Texas to work for E-Systems where his projects were predominantly special purpose aircraft.  During that time, he also worked for 22 months in the Sinai desert on a peacekeeping mission.  He worked for E-Systems for a total of 19 years after which he moved to Waco. There, he worked for CTAS/Raytheon/L3 and Saber systems before retiring in 2009.

He married the love of his life, Jackie Lucille (Abrams) Dodson on June 19, 1971 in Long Beach CA.

Doug loved animals.  During his life, he had a cattle operation. He enjoyed watching the deer and wildlife on his property.  He had incredibly special relationships with several dogs and cats, a pony and even a goose.

He enjoyed watching sports especially the Dallas Cowboys and later the Baylor Bears.  He liked airplanes, computers, playing pool and listening to country music.  He also enjoyed chicken fried steak and a cold beer with friends and family.

Doug was a devoted father.  He was never so proud as when he watched his children graduate from college.  He loved flying with his son, often attending the fly-in at Oshkosh with Doug Jr. later in life.  Adapt and overcome was a way of life for Doug.  He faced challenges head-on and passed that on to his children.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Carl.

Doug is survived by his wife of 49 years, his children Doug Jr, and wife Gail; Sherry Clark and husband Benny; as well as sisters Delores Dieman, Wanda Green and Norma Menefee and brother Dean Dodson.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Wesley Woods Rehabilitation and Healthcare as well as Providence Hospice for their care of and concern for Doug.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors at www.woundedwarriorproject.org  as Doug had a special fondness for our military veterans.

Registry for Douglas Dodson