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The Shreveport Times

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Alma S. Dodd

O. E. Price Cemetery, Logansport

SHREVEPORT, LA - A celebration of the life of Alma S. Dodd, 92, will be held on Thursday, December 10th at 10:30 am at the First United Methodist Church of Logansport. Officiating will be the reverend Kemper Smith. Interment will follow at O.E. Price Cemetery in Logansport. Visitation will be held from 5:00 until 7:00 pm on Wednesday, December 9th at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Logansport, and a viewing will be held at the Church from 9:00 until 10:15am prior to the service. Alma was born as Octavia West Goldsborough Sowder, a fact not known to her for 67 years, on June 26, 1917 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to Tony and Eva Goldsborough Sowder, and passed away the night of December 6, 2009 from stage 3 dementia.

Prior to moving to the Live Oak Retirement Community in September, 2001, Alma had lived in Logansport for forty years after moving there with her family from Fayettvile. She was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Logansport, where she served the church in many capacities, including as both a youth and adult Sunday school teacher, board member, and officer of the United Methodist Women. Alma turned her love for antique collecting into a business by founding Alma's Antiques in 1978. She also served as Corporate Secretary of her husband's business, Center Hatchery and Farms, Inc., for many years. She was a leader in her adopted hometown of Logansport, where she led early recycling efforts, and served in many other volunteer capacities.

Most importantly, she led by example and touched the lives of many people. Her motto was "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be", which she repeated often. She not only made up her own mind to be happy; she spread that happiness to countless others. Affectionately known to friends as the "energizer bunny", she had boundless energy and a positive spirit that lifted all around her. Family was always foremost in her heart, and her family not only included her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but countless other "kids", each of whom she loved as her own. Her smile was contagious, her hugs abundant, and her grace unending.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Charles W. Dodd, her parents, and by brothers Jack and Tony Sowder. She is survived by her sons, Charles W. Dodd, Jr. of Austin, James R. Dodd of Dennison, TX, and David A. Dodd of Shreveport; and daughter, D. Deean Shinall also of Shreveport; ten grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Alma will be missed by all who knew her, and no less by the wonderful people at Live Oak, who the family is greatly indebted to for the care they provided her through the years, and those at Willis-Knighton Hospice, who gave excellent care in her final days. By their own admission, they, along with Alma's fellow residents, were often lifted by her smile, the sparkle in her eyes, her hugs, and her dancing. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to First United Methodist Church, PO Box 177, Logansport, LA 71049.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" - 1 Corinthians 13:13.

Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Mansfield, LA 872-4660