John I. Dodge

MASON CITY: John I. Dodge, 65, of Mason City, died Monday, November 9, 2015 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit. Memorial services will be held 1:00 PM Saturday, November 14, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N. Pennsylvania Avenue with Pastor Kathy Graves officiating. Private family interment will take place in Elmwood St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Friday at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue. Memorials may be directed to the John Dodge Memorial Fund.

John Irving Dodge was born June 29, 1950 to Alan and Naida (Lee) Dodge. His early years were spent growing up on a farm near St. Ansgar and later moving to the town of Osage. After the death of his mother, John was blessed with a wonderful second mom when his dad moved to Mason City and married Margaret Nesje. John worked as a State Farm Insurance agent for 23 years in Mason City. Later, he managed rental properties and dabbled in other small business ventures. In 1971, John married his high school sweetheart, Amy Luecht. They were blessed with 3 daughters and 2 sons. John enjoyed riding motorcycles, camping, traveling and fixing up investment properties. He especially enjoyed his trips to Germany, Hawaii, the Carribean, Alaska and Mexico. The last several winters he and Amy took their winter breaks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There was nothing John enjoyed more than basking in the hot Mexican sun, dancing to the Beach Boys or riding shirtless on his motorcycle with the wind at his back. John was a kid at heart and enjoyed teasing his children and grandchildren. He loved surprises and was known for his practical jokes. He was delighted to be a founding member of SPOG along with his neighbors, Harold Dixon and Roger Workman. They spent many leisurely evenings sitting in the backyard gazebo while solving the problems of the world, the neighborhood, and their families.

He is survived by his wife, Amy; daughters, Sally (Herman, Jr) Berding of Mason City, Alicia (Corey) Lief of Mason City, Sonja (Sanjay) Gill of Hinsdales, Illinois and his German (exchange-student) daughter, Yessica Ozgoz-Schoknecht of Cologne, Germany; sons, Corby (fiancé, Kat Bremhorst) of Chicago, Illinois and Daniel Dodge of Mason City; grandchildren: Luke, Gabriella, Grace and Maggie Berding; Adeline and Anders Lief; Lila and Jackson Gill. He is also survived by his mother, Margaret Dodge of Mason City; brother, David (Nancy) Dodge of Duncan, South Carolina; sisters, Vicki (Tom) Gay of Wyoming, Minnesota, Jane (Tim) Browning of Baxter, Minnesota and Julie (Tom) Birdsall of Mason City; many nieces and nephews.

John was preceded in death by his father, Alan; mother, Naida; and brother, Mark.