Roderick Lamar Dobson, Jr.
Roderick Lamar Dobson, Jr. passed into eternal life on September 15, 2015. He was born to Lamar and Ettie Dobson in Shreveport Louisiana. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his son, the Rev. Clint Dobson. Rod is survived by his beloved wife, Sharon Dobson, his daughter Sarah Mitchell and husband Rob, his son Chris Kirchmer and wife Melissa, and his grandchildren Ella Mitchell, Claire Mitchell, Kate Kirchmer, and Trevin Sonnier.
Rod grew up in Shreveport, but he enjoyed summers in Central Louisiana with is grandparents. He was especially close to his grandmother Evalina Johnson. He graduated from Byrd High School in Shreveport and earned his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees in Mathematics at Louisiana State University. After graduate school he was recruited by IBM to work in the new field of computer software design. Following his initial training, he was sent to Canada to experiment with using computers to fly military helicopters. From there he was transferred to Downey, California where he worked in the very early stages of software design for the Space Shuttle. In the early 1970s, he was transferred to Houston to continue his work in software audit and design for the Shuttle. During his work in conjunction with NASA, he was recognized on a number of occasions. Among other honors and recognitions, he was given the NASA Silver Snoopy Award, the Right Stuff Award, and he was a Manned Flight Awareness honoree. When the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011, he retired.
Rod gave his life to Christ at an early age. He believed in the truth of the Bible, respected God’s will, and supported faithful church attendance and tithing. He lived by the highest ethical standards and was firm in his commitment to always doing what was right. He worked hard at whatever tasks he undertook and never shrunk from any responsibility. He was a devoted husband and father who always had time for his family whether is was helping around the house, helping with homework, attending sporting events, or talking about day to day triumphs or difficulties.
In contrast to the highly focused work he did professionally, he loved to work with his hands. Because of his great patience and intelligence, he was able to do many things from auto mechanics and home repair to advanced wood working.
Rod was a steady, faithful, kind, honest, hardworking, quiet, Christian man who devoted himself to God, to his family, and to his work. He was the best of men and he will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held at Crowder Funeral Home, 111 East Medical Center Blvd, Webster, TX. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm on Friday, September 18, 2015 with funeral services to begin at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Clinton R. Dobson Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at Baylor University, 1 Bear Place #97050, Waco, TX 76798-7050, or Living Water International, 4001 Greenbriar Dr. #200, Stafford, TX 77477.
Our deepest sympathy during this very difficult time. May God give you the peace that passes all understanding.
Sincerely,
Keith and Sandy Oden
Rod was my cousin, 9 years older than me. I was fortunate to have several other cousins in the Dobson line including Dr. James C. Dobson. Jim had a PhD in Psychology from USC, author of many books most noreable was : “Dare to Dicipline”. He is most well know as the creator and director of “Focus on the Family” which is the most valued source for helping families. Focus on the family would receive over 20,000 letters a day from people worldwide asking his advice regarding family difficulties. He served at the request of 3 presidents regarding the good policies for families in America. His wife, Shirley Dobson, is the founder of the Women’s day if Prayer and is still the chair person for the past 30 plus years. Dr. Dobson never received any salary or income from Focus.
Another outstanding cousin was Bill Dobson who was an accomplished artist starting out as a designer for (what was then: Aero General but later branched out on his own as an illustration artist for “Road and Track” for several decades until his death.
I, on the other hand, was the black sheep of the family who only started and owned a Real Estate Company in Kansas City, MO. in 1986. I am retired but the company continues to succeed.