F.C. Dodd

1935 - 2025

F.C. Dodd

September 12, 1935 - November 3, 2025

F.C. "Sonny" Dodd was called home to be with his Lord on Monday, November 3, 2025. He passed away peacefully at home in Lovington with his wife; he was 90 years old.

Sonny was preceded in death by his mother Elsie Fay, stepmother Claudine, brother Jim, father Wilfred Cecil, former wife Beulah, and sister Maxine. He is survived by his loving wife, Andrea (Harper) Dodd of Lovington, children Randy (Mel) Dodd of Cisco and Tina Wiegel of White Heath, grandchildren Danee Dodd of Cisco, Amanda (Tim) Wiegel of Holland, Texas, and Christine Felt of White Heath, 8 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandson.

Sonny was born to Cecil and Elsie Faye (McWethy) Dodd on September 12, 1935, the youngest of three children. Elsie Faye passed away approximately a year after Sonny was born, and Cecil later remarried Claudine Calver. Sonny grew up with his older brother Jim, and eldest sibling, Maxine, on a farm in rural Champaign County. He attended Mahomet High School, and enlisted in the United States Army in 1955. He served as a mechanic during his active-duty tour, which took him to Germany, among other places. Sonny was awarded a Mechanics medal as well as Expert Marksman, and was honorably discharged in 1957.

He married Beulah "Boots" Gawthorp in 1958, and they soon welcomed their son Randy and later their daughter Tina. Sonny had always been an animal lover, and many of those that knew him knew he had a way with animals - particularly horses - that was very special. He purchased his first Quarter Horse not long after he returned from the military and began showing at the few Quarter Horse shows that existed at that time. Soon after, he entered his first racehorse into the Macon County Fair in Decatur, and as they say, the rest is history. In 1964, Sonny's racing program began to seriously take off, and resulted in a move to Oklahoma. He often spoke of his fondest family memories being those of the five years the family spent there. Randy began jockeying for his father, winning many races under the "DD Stables" blue and white colors, and Tina began to work as a horse trainer as well.

Sonny continued to advance the Quarter Horse racing initiative in Illinois for several decades. He worked as an outrider for Pit Run Park in Gibson City, while training his own racehorses, with his nephew Carl Dodd also jockeying for him for many years. Sonny served as the outrider for both the Springfield and DuQuoin state fairs in Illinois from 1993-2005. Sonny was still catching stray horses well into his seventies as the outrider for the Champaign County Fair. For almost two decades, he served as the President of the Illinois Quarter Horse Racing Association, and was inducted into the IQHA Hall of Fame in 2012. He was also a longtime member of the Piatt County Trail Blazers, where he brought in the first sanctioned rodeo during his time as President. Sonny remained a member until his passing, and was still actively helping to ensure the organization would continue to thrive for years to come.

Somehow, Sonny found time to head the Animal Control office in Piatt County for 39 years, from 1975 to 2014. Whether it was a bat in a living room, a stray cow in a muddy lot, or a loose pet python, he could be counted on day or night to take care of the situation.

In 2005, Sonny met Andrea Harper at a Trail Blazers meeting. After successfully selling her a horse, and getting to know each other while she continued to board her horse at his barn, he asked her to marry him, and they married in July 2006. One thing was always certain over the last twenty years, that they loved each other more than words can describe. Through many trials and blessings, God helped their union endure to the end.

The stories and memories of Sonny's life are many, and he will remain in our hearts until we are reunited. Sonny was indeed a real cowboy, but the best parts of him were how much he loved his family

and cared about the wellbeing of his friends. He cannot be replaced, but we have hope in knowing we will see him one day, and get to spend eternity with him where no sorrows can reach.

Visitation will be held from 1:00-3:00 p.m., Sunday, November 9, 2025 at the Mackey-Wright Funeral Home, Monticello. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, November 10, 2025 at the Mackey-Wright Funeral Home. Interment will be held in Croninger Cemetery, Cisco.

Memorials may be made to the Sonny Dodd Memorial Fund in c/o Andrea Dodd.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.mackey-wrightfuneralhome.com