Patricia Ann Dodd left the Country Rest Home in Greenwood on Saturday, May 2 and walked straight into heaven. In true Pat style, she had been saying for days “I’m not gonna stay here” and she kept her word.
Pat was born on June 22, 1940, in Baltimore, Md. to the late Nelson and Mildred Ewing. She graduated from Catonsville High School and went on to complete her nursing degree from St. Agnus Nursing school in 1961, becoming a registered nurse.
While in nursing school, Pat met a handsome civil air patrolman, Elwood “Woody” Dodd, who later that same year became her husband. The pair went on to raise five daughters, including two sets of twins. In 1970, the family moved to Salisbury, where Pat worked at what was then PGH, now TidalHealth.
In the years that followed, Pat worked for 53 years at numerous other nursing jobs, including Milford, Nanticoke and in Home Health. Pat and Woody even did some travel nursing across the country in their 36-foot travel trailer. Caring for others wasn’t just her profession, it was her way of life.
Pat’s interests were as varied and spirited as she was. You might find her square dancing, or on the back of Woody’s motorcycle. Sunny days she may be fishing or kayaking on the pond behind their final home on Hearns Pond, Seaford. She tended her store at Pack Rats in Laurel. She was sometimes found volunteering at the Seaford Senior Center. Her many orchids and plants thrived in her sunroom. She loved a good thrift store hunt. If there was someone in need of help, Pat would find a way.
Though she often described herself as a loner, people who knew her knew better. If you were lucky enough to cross paths with Pat, you were lucky enough. One of Pat’s favorite sayings was “You have to live your own life.” And she most certainly did!
She was proceeded in death by her husband of 52 years and her sister, Mary Jane McGowan. She is survived by her five daughters, Deborah Watson (Eddie), Ellen Powell (Jack), Jeanette Yurek (Walt), Mary Kathleen Mills (Bill), and Denise Breese (Bob); nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, June 20, with the location to be announced. In lieu of flowers, Pat would be most pleased with a plate of cookies, flowers, or donations made to the staff at the Country Rest Home in Greenwood. They were, in her family’s words, the kindest, most loving people that anyone could hope for.
To leave a condolence visit www.cranstonfuneralhome.com.