F.C. 'Sonny' Dodd

F.C. 'Sonny' Dodd Lovington - F.C. "Sonny" Dodd, 90, was called home to be with his Lord on Monday (Nov. 3, 2025). He passed away peacefully at home in Lovington with his wife. Sonny was preceded in death by his mother, Elsie Fay; stepmother, Claudine; a brother, Jim; his father, Wilfred Cecil; former wife, Beulah; and a 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; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson. Sonny was born to Cecil and Elsie Faye (McWethy) Dodd on Sept. 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 U.S. 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 who 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 70s 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 20 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 well-being 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 from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at Mackey-Wright Funeral Home, Monticello. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the funeral Home. Interment will be in Croninger Cemetery, Cisco. Memorials may be made to the Sonny Dodd Memorial Fund, c/o Andrea Dodd. Condolences may be sent to the family at mackey wrightfuneralhome.com.