Jerome Roger Dodson, III,57 passed away Saturday, July 14, 2018 at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Angela Dodson of Quincy.
The funeral service will be held at 10:00 A.M., Thursday, July 19th at New Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Quincy, where Jerry served as Pastor. A reception will follow the service at the church. Burial, with military honors will take place at 12 o'clock noon at Tallahassee National Cemetery.
Gifts in memory Jerry may be made to Third Millennium Ministries (thirdmill.org).
Jerry was born in Greensboro NC on 14 July 1961. He attended Brooks Elementary School in the Lake Daniel neighbourhood of Guilford County, NC. In 1971 at the age of 10 he set out with his family for Papua New Guinea in the southwest Pacific Islands, where they served as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They sailed from the west coast of the USA on the P&O liner, Arcadia.
In 1975 the family returned to Greensboro for a year of furlough, traveling via southeast Asia, visiting the Philippines and Thailand. During that year he attended Kiser Middle School. Returning to PNG, he completed his junior and senior high schooling, and graduated in 1979. Following his interest in the arts, theatre and acting especially, he returned to the USA and spent a semester at Northwestern College in Iowa. He soon came back to Greensboro however, and in 1980 he trained at GTCC as a paramedic. He later enrolled at UNCG and in 1987 graduated as a RN. He worked at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital as a cardiac nurse, where he was well known for his skill and care.
In 1989, Jerry married Angela Prevatt at Lawndale Baptist Church. As newlyweds they moved into a home on Euclid St. in Greensboro, where they developed a heart for and ministered to the homeless. He often returned to the hospital after his third shift to take Bibles to and pray with the patients. Jerry served his country in the Air force National Guard and was on active duty during Desert Storm. He was also a chaplain for Sons of God Motorcycle Club Ministries, that is, to former Hells Angels. So many people asked him if he was a pastor and as a result he discovered his heart's true desire and set out to become one formally. He received an honorable discharge as 1st Lieutenant with a National Defence Service Medal. In 1994 Jerry began to pursue training at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando where he excelled, and where his fellow students called him "Bible boy" due to his commitment to rightly divide the word of truth.
He became a voracious reader and avid debater of the finer points of theology. Following graduation with a Master of Divinity, Jerry served at Ligonier Ministry where he answered founder R.C. Sproul's mail as well as theological questions that came in from all over the world. He was ordained by R.C. Sproul at Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford FL., following which he received a call to Northside Presbyterian church in Melbourne, FL. There he served faithfully for many years, and later he became pastor at New Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Quincy, FL. Jerry loved much and was much loved by all that knew him. He has always had a servant's heart and served faithfully as a servant-shepherd pastor.
Jerry was truly a man of multiple talents and passions. For those who knew him well, he was definitely a character. He possessed a clever mind, sharp wit and generous spirit. He held a lifelong interest in words, language, spoken accents, humor and music, as well as books (he built a personal library of over 30,000 books). His loves were theology, teaching and preaching the Bible. He closely followed Contemporary Christian music as it developed during the 1970s and later grew to love the richness of the great hymns of faith. He became an avid listener to classical music and Frank Sinatra. He was a great fan of the 1960s TV series, The Andy Griffith Show, which summed up his love for the North Carolina he left as a young boy and his desire for wholesome viewing. He took considerable care in crafting his weekly sermons, which he delivered wearing a Geneva gown, which was designed to deflect the focus from the pastor and to the sacred Scriptures.
Jerry desired to live an authentic Christian life and serve his Lord, and to that end faced his share of struggles. He was a faithful man who lived the gospel he believed. He will be remembered for his great love of life and for his generosity. In recent years he used social media to reach many in friendship and discipleship. Jerry departed this world on his 57th birthday. He will be hugely missed as a much-loved son, devoted husband, affectionate brother and uncle, as well as committed pastor and friend.
Other survivors include his parents Roger and Polly Dodson of Greensboro, NC; two sisters, Ellen Webb (Michael) of Australia and Carol Bost (Bo) of Greensboro, NC; and his brother Paul Dodson also of Greensboro.
Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home of Tallahassee (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) assisted Mrs. Dobson with her arrangements.
BEVIS FUNERAL HOME, INC - TALLAHASSEE
200 John Knox Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 385-2193
Published in Gadsden County Times on July 26, 2018
