Odell Franklin Dobson, former vice president of Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company in Decatur, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, 21 January. He was 87 years old. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara Ann Killheffer Dobson, also of Decatur; his three children, Michael and Patrick, both residents of the Washington, DC, metro area, and Lise Dobson Grisham of Decatur; a sister, Frances Munday of Roxboro, N.C.; and grandchildren Van Patrick Martin, Samuel Dobson, Sarah Dobson, James Dobson and Gary Grisham III.
Odell Dobson was born in Schoolfield, Va. His father, Rob Dobson, saw his business wiped out in the Great Depression, and Odell dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to work in the nearby Dan River Mills. While the clouds of war gathered around the world, Odell took flying lessons in hopes of joining the new Army Air Corps.
He had to stuff himself with bananas before reporting for his military physical in order to meet the minimum weight requirement. He washed out of flight training, but managed to get himself reassigned as a gunner, in spite of the fact that he was too tall for the job. As a member of the B-24 crew "Rudd's Ruffians," he flew 13 combat raids over Germany. On the 13th raid in September 1944, his aircraft was shot down over Koblenz. He was wounded and became a prisoner of war. He was part of the infamous "Shoe Leather Express" forced march of POWs, spending 87 days on the road before being liberated.
After the war, Odell finished his high school education and attended Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C., where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. His college roommate, Kurt Biedenkopf, subsequently became head of the German Christian Democrat Party and president of the state of Saxony. Odell had outstanding grades in all subjects except math, and ended up three credits short of his degree as a result of his inability to pass calculus.
He married Charlotte resident Barbara Ann Killheffer in 1950, got his license as a life insurance salesman, and after a brief period with Security Life and Trust (now Integon), joined Decatur-based Mutual Savings in 1956. He moved with his family to Germany in order to sell insurance to the large military community, returning to the U.S. in 1961 following the erection of the Berlin Wall. He moved from sales into a management role in the Claims Department, advancing to a vice presidency.
On a business trip to Spain in the 1980s, he met British author, Bruce Lewis, who adapted Odell's World War II stories as part of his book Four Men Went to War. He also appeared as a fictional character, "Digger" O'Dell, in the novel Fox on the Rhine, co-authored by his son Michael.
Odell Dobson had many interests. In 1958, he ventured into the middle of the Lebanese Civil War to sell insurance, coming under fire on his way into Beirut. He was a passionate sailor who built his own sloop, once a familiar sight on the Tennessee River. He was also deeply interested in genealogy, amassing a database of over 55,000 connections. His great-great-great-great uncle, John Tyler, was the 10th president of the United States. Other notable ancestors include the Harrisons of Virginia (two U.S. presidents and a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Armisteads of Virginia (the commander of Ft. McHenry during the incident leading to the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the Confederate general who died at Gettysburg.
Odell Dobson was an active member of St. Charles Anglican Catholic Church in Huntsville. He was also involved in numerous veterans groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 2nd Air Division Association and the 392nd Bomb Group Association.
There will be a visitation at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home in Decatur today, January 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. and a service at the same location from 3 to 4 p.m. Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC, on February 2 at 3 p.m.
The true story of his World War II adventures is available online at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF. A downloadable PDF biographical booklet is available at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF2. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Decatur General Hospital Foundation.
Published in Decatur Daily from January 22 to January 23, 2010.
Fords Folly" (EC-N)
Ford B-24H-1-FO Liberator
s/n 42-7466
578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Shot down by fighters over Hanover,Germany on September 11,1944. 8 of the crew were KIA, 2 became POW's.
MACR 8850
1st Lt. Charles R. Rudd - Pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Robert J. Benson - CoPilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Jennings B. Dawson - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. William A. Spencer - Bombardier (KIA)
S/Sgt. Richard E. Modlin - Nose Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Claiborne R. Maynard - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Roger E. Clapp,Jr. - Radio Operator (POW)
S/Sgt. Harvey G. Hoganson - Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Odell F. Dobson - Waist Gunner (POW)
S/Sgt. Robert K. Place - Tail Turret Gunner (KIA)
Odell Dobson was born in Schoolfield, Va. His father, Rob Dobson, saw his business wiped out in the Great Depression, and Odell dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to work in the nearby Dan River Mills. While the clouds of war gathered around the world, Odell took flying lessons in hopes of joining the new Army Air Corps.
He had to stuff himself with bananas before reporting for his military physical in order to meet the minimum weight requirement. He washed out of flight training, but managed to get himself reassigned as a gunner, in spite of the fact that he was too tall for the job. As a member of the B-24 crew "Rudd's Ruffians," he flew 13 combat raids over Germany. On the 13th raid in September 1944, his aircraft was shot down over Koblenz. He was wounded and became a prisoner of war. He was part of the infamous "Shoe Leather Express" forced march of POWs, spending 87 days on the road before being liberated.
After the war, Odell finished his high school education and attended Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C., where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. His college roommate, Kurt Biedenkopf, subsequently became head of the German Christian Democrat Party and president of the state of Saxony. Odell had outstanding grades in all subjects except math, and ended up three credits short of his degree as a result of his inability to pass calculus.
He married Charlotte resident Barbara Ann Killheffer in 1950, got his license as a life insurance salesman, and after a brief period with Security Life and Trust (now Integon), joined Decatur-based Mutual Savings in 1956. He moved with his family to Germany in order to sell insurance to the large military community, returning to the U.S. in 1961 following the erection of the Berlin Wall. He moved from sales into a management role in the Claims Department, advancing to a vice presidency.
On a business trip to Spain in the 1980s, he met British author, Bruce Lewis, who adapted Odell's World War II stories as part of his book Four Men Went to War. He also appeared as a fictional character, "Digger" O'Dell, in the novel Fox on the Rhine, co-authored by his son Michael.
Odell Dobson had many interests. In 1958, he ventured into the middle of the Lebanese Civil War to sell insurance, coming under fire on his way into Beirut. He was a passionate sailor who built his own sloop, once a familiar sight on the Tennessee River. He was also deeply interested in genealogy, amassing a database of over 55,000 connections. His great-great-great-great uncle, John Tyler, was the 10th president of the United States. Other notable ancestors include the Harrisons of Virginia (two U.S. presidents and a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Armisteads of Virginia (the commander of Ft. McHenry during the incident leading to the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the Confederate general who died at Gettysburg.
Odell Dobson was an active member of St. Charles Anglican Catholic Church in Huntsville. He was also involved in numerous veterans groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 2nd Air Division Association and the 392nd Bomb Group Association.
There will be a visitation at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home in Decatur today, January 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. and a service at the same location from 3 to 4 p.m. Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC, on February 2 at 3 p.m.
The true story of his World War II adventures is available online at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF. A downloadable PDF biographical booklet is available at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF2. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Decatur General Hospital Foundation.
Published in Decatur Daily from January 22 to January 23, 2010.
Fords Folly" (EC-N)
Ford B-24H-1-FO Liberator
s/n 42-7466
578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Shot down by fighters over Hanover,Germany on September 11,1944. 8 of the crew were KIA, 2 became POW's.
MACR 8850
1st Lt. Charles R. Rudd - Pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Robert J. Benson - CoPilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Jennings B. Dawson - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. William A. Spencer - Bombardier (KIA)
S/Sgt. Richard E. Modlin - Nose Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Claiborne R. Maynard - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Roger E. Clapp,Jr. - Radio Operator (POW)
S/Sgt. Harvey G. Hoganson - Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Odell F. Dobson - Waist Gunner (POW)
S/Sgt. Robert K. Place - Tail Turret Gunner (KIA)
Odell Franklin Dobson, former vice president of Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company in Decatur, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, 21 January. He was 87 years old. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara Ann Killheffer Dobson, also of Decatur; his three children, Michael and Patrick, both residents of the Washington, DC, metro area, and Lise Dobson Grisham of Decatur; a sister, Frances Munday of Roxboro, N.C.; and grandchildren Van Patrick Martin, Samuel Dobson, Sarah Dobson, James Dobson and Gary Grisham III.
Odell Dobson was born in Schoolfield, Va. His father, Rob Dobson, saw his business wiped out in the Great Depression, and Odell dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to work in the nearby Dan River Mills. While the clouds of war gathered around the world, Odell took flying lessons in hopes of joining the new Army Air Corps.
He had to stuff himself with bananas before reporting for his military physical in order to meet the minimum weight requirement. He washed out of flight training, but managed to get himself reassigned as a gunner, in spite of the fact that he was too tall for the job. As a member of the B-24 crew "Rudd's Ruffians," he flew 13 combat raids over Germany. On the 13th raid in September 1944, his aircraft was shot down over Koblenz. He was wounded and became a prisoner of war. He was part of the infamous "Shoe Leather Express" forced march of POWs, spending 87 days on the road before being liberated.
After the war, Odell finished his high school education and attended Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C., where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. His college roommate, Kurt Biedenkopf, subsequently became head of the German Christian Democrat Party and president of the state of Saxony. Odell had outstanding grades in all subjects except math, and ended up three credits short of his degree as a result of his inability to pass calculus.
He married Charlotte resident Barbara Ann Killheffer in 1950, got his license as a life insurance salesman, and after a brief period with Security Life and Trust (now Integon), joined Decatur-based Mutual Savings in 1956. He moved with his family to Germany in order to sell insurance to the large military community, returning to the U.S. in 1961 following the erection of the Berlin Wall. He moved from sales into a management role in the Claims Department, advancing to a vice presidency.
On a business trip to Spain in the 1980s, he met British author, Bruce Lewis, who adapted Odell's World War II stories as part of his book Four Men Went to War. He also appeared as a fictional character, "Digger" O'Dell, in the novel Fox on the Rhine, co-authored by his son Michael.
Odell Dobson had many interests. In 1958, he ventured into the middle of the Lebanese Civil War to sell insurance, coming under fire on his way into Beirut. He was a passionate sailor who built his own sloop, once a familiar sight on the Tennessee River. He was also deeply interested in genealogy, amassing a database of over 55,000 connections. His great-great-great-great uncle, John Tyler, was the 10th president of the United States. Other notable ancestors include the Harrisons of Virginia (two U.S. presidents and a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Armisteads of Virginia (the commander of Ft. McHenry during the incident leading to the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the Confederate general who died at Gettysburg.
Odell Dobson was an active member of St. Charles Anglican Catholic Church in Huntsville. He was also involved in numerous veterans groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 2nd Air Division Association and the 392nd Bomb Group Association.
There will be a visitation at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home in Decatur today, January 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. and a service at the same location from 3 to 4 p.m. Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC, on February 2 at 3 p.m.
The true story of his World War II adventures is available online at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF. A downloadable PDF biographical booklet is available at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF2. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Decatur General Hospital Foundation.
Published in Decatur Daily from January 22 to January 23, 2010.
Fords Folly" (EC-N)
Ford B-24H-1-FO Liberator
s/n 42-7466
578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Shot down by fighters over Hanover,Germany on September 11,1944. 8 of the crew were KIA, 2 became POW's.
MACR 8850
1st Lt. Charles R. Rudd - Pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Robert J. Benson - CoPilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Jennings B. Dawson - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. William A. Spencer - Bombardier (KIA)
S/Sgt. Richard E. Modlin - Nose Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Claiborne R. Maynard - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Roger E. Clapp,Jr. - Radio Operator (POW)
S/Sgt. Harvey G. Hoganson - Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Odell F. Dobson - Waist Gunner (POW)
S/Sgt. Robert K. Place - Tail Turret Gunner (KIA)
Odell Dobson was born in Schoolfield, Va. His father, Rob Dobson, saw his business wiped out in the Great Depression, and Odell dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to work in the nearby Dan River Mills. While the clouds of war gathered around the world, Odell took flying lessons in hopes of joining the new Army Air Corps.
He had to stuff himself with bananas before reporting for his military physical in order to meet the minimum weight requirement. He washed out of flight training, but managed to get himself reassigned as a gunner, in spite of the fact that he was too tall for the job. As a member of the B-24 crew "Rudd's Ruffians," he flew 13 combat raids over Germany. On the 13th raid in September 1944, his aircraft was shot down over Koblenz. He was wounded and became a prisoner of war. He was part of the infamous "Shoe Leather Express" forced march of POWs, spending 87 days on the road before being liberated.
After the war, Odell finished his high school education and attended Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C., where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. His college roommate, Kurt Biedenkopf, subsequently became head of the German Christian Democrat Party and president of the state of Saxony. Odell had outstanding grades in all subjects except math, and ended up three credits short of his degree as a result of his inability to pass calculus.
He married Charlotte resident Barbara Ann Killheffer in 1950, got his license as a life insurance salesman, and after a brief period with Security Life and Trust (now Integon), joined Decatur-based Mutual Savings in 1956. He moved with his family to Germany in order to sell insurance to the large military community, returning to the U.S. in 1961 following the erection of the Berlin Wall. He moved from sales into a management role in the Claims Department, advancing to a vice presidency.
On a business trip to Spain in the 1980s, he met British author, Bruce Lewis, who adapted Odell's World War II stories as part of his book Four Men Went to War. He also appeared as a fictional character, "Digger" O'Dell, in the novel Fox on the Rhine, co-authored by his son Michael.
Odell Dobson had many interests. In 1958, he ventured into the middle of the Lebanese Civil War to sell insurance, coming under fire on his way into Beirut. He was a passionate sailor who built his own sloop, once a familiar sight on the Tennessee River. He was also deeply interested in genealogy, amassing a database of over 55,000 connections. His great-great-great-great uncle, John Tyler, was the 10th president of the United States. Other notable ancestors include the Harrisons of Virginia (two U.S. presidents and a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Armisteads of Virginia (the commander of Ft. McHenry during the incident leading to the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the Confederate general who died at Gettysburg.
Odell Dobson was an active member of St. Charles Anglican Catholic Church in Huntsville. He was also involved in numerous veterans groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 2nd Air Division Association and the 392nd Bomb Group Association.
There will be a visitation at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home in Decatur today, January 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. and a service at the same location from 3 to 4 p.m. Internment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC, on February 2 at 3 p.m.
The true story of his World War II adventures is available online at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF. A downloadable PDF biographical booklet is available at http://tinyurl.com/DobsonOF2. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Decatur General Hospital Foundation.
Published in Decatur Daily from January 22 to January 23, 2010.
Fords Folly" (EC-N)
Ford B-24H-1-FO Liberator
s/n 42-7466
578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Shot down by fighters over Hanover,Germany on September 11,1944. 8 of the crew were KIA, 2 became POW's.
MACR 8850
1st Lt. Charles R. Rudd - Pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Robert J. Benson - CoPilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Jennings B. Dawson - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. William A. Spencer - Bombardier (KIA)
S/Sgt. Richard E. Modlin - Nose Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Claiborne R. Maynard - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. Roger E. Clapp,Jr. - Radio Operator (POW)
S/Sgt. Harvey G. Hoganson - Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Odell F. Dobson - Waist Gunner (POW)
S/Sgt. Robert K. Place - Tail Turret Gunner (KIA)
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