Dr. Wilfred "Bill" Dodgson

Dr. Wilfred  "Bill"  Dodgson, 90, of Boardman died Thursday morning December 27, 2018 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Boardman.

He was born February 21, 1928 in Tiskilwa, Illinois, son of Rev. Arthur S. and  Ruth (Roth) Dodgson.   He had lived in the Boardman area for 57 years.

He earned his B.A. from Franklin College in 1946, his M.S. in Pharmacology from the University of Colorado in 1950, and his M.D. from Temple University in 1954. He completed his internship at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, and served his residency in Pediatrics at Akron Children's Hospital in Akron.  Dr. Dodgson completed his post-graduate course in Neonatology at Cleveland Babies’ and Children's Hospital in Cleveland in 1971.

A U.S. Army veteran, he was a Captain in the Medical Corps at the 130th Station Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. Following his military service, Dr. Dodgson was in private practice in Norwalk, Ohio and then in Youngstown with Doctors Hutt and Hovanic.  In 1972 he joined the staff at Tod Children's Hospital, where he had eventually retired as Chief of Pediatrics.

Dr. Dodgson was a Diplomate with the American Board of Pediatrics, and a Fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was the Director of the Pediatric Resident Training Program and Clinical Pediatrics and Neonatology at Tod Children's Hospital. He was also Professor Emeritus at Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine and had served as a member of the Council of Chiefs.

Bill was a member of Good Hope Lutheran Church in Boardman. He was a member of the Civil War Round Table and the Youngstown Chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America, and golfed with the Applewood Golf League and with the Skins Gang and the Senior League at Mill Creek.  He had a passion for medicine, history, antique automobiles, playing golf and stamp collecting , but nothing outweighed his love for his family.

His beloved wife, the former Betsey Ann Gibbons, who he married December 21, 1955, died October 21, 2009.

Dr. Dodgson is survived by his five children, Deborah (Ed) Boyce, Theresa (Bruce) McConnell, Rebecca (Alfonse) Fiore, Doug "Boomer" (Jayne) Dodgson, and Julie Dodgson (who was his caregiver for the past three years), and by his grandchildren, Andrea Fausnaugh, M. Dominic Fiore, Marc (Kelly) Fiore, Sarah (Matthew) Carlton, and Andrew Dodgson. He also leaves his two siblings, Kenneth Dodgson and Lucille (John) Mayo.

Besides his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by a brother, Stanley M. Dodgson.

Honoring Dr. Dodgson’s wishes, his body was donated for the advancement of medical science to the Northeast Ohio Medical University.  When research and educational studies have been completed, his body will be cremated and the cremains returned to his family.

His life will be celebrated at a memorial service at Good Hope Lutheran Church, 98 Homestead Drive in Boardman on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.  Friends may visit with the family at the church one hour prior to the  service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests material contributions take the form of donations to Good Hope Lutheran Church Memorial Fund,  98 Homestead Drive, Boardman, Ohio 44512 or to the NEOMED Anatomy/Neuro Teaching Fund, 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown OH  44272.

Arrangements are by the Davis-Becker Funeral Home in Boardman.

Visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.