Jo Ann (Hickerson) Dodson

During the night of February 1, 2019, Jo Ann Hickerson Dodson passed away peacefully from complications due to Alzheimer’s. She was 75.

Jo Ann was born in Maryland on August 15, 1943, to Joe and Anne Hickerson. She grew up in Rosebud, Texas until the family moved to Arizona which was a better climate for Jo Ann’s chronic asthma. After receiving her education degree from Northern Arizona University she taught elementary school in Arizona and California. On November 27, 1970, she married James Dodson in Mojave, CA. They settled in Lancaster, CA, and raised two daughters, Eleanor Mariah and Laura Elizabeth.

Jo Ann worked in the Family Support Center of Edwards Air Force Base. The job suited her passions for teaching and helping others. Always a generous person, Jo Ann was an active congregant at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and volunteered with the Sierra Club and the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, as well as with her daughters’ schools and Girl Scout troops.

An avid reader and lifelong learner, Jo Ann had a particular interest in English history and Native American culture. She loved exploring the deserts of California and Arizona, and camping and going on road trips with her family. She and Jim also traveled internationally, most extensively in Japan, where they lived for three years.

Music was a constant joy in Jo Ann’s life. She never forgot the songs of her teenage years, and in her last days she happily sang along to The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel.

She is survived by her husband, James Dodson; her daughters Tina Petersen, Eleanor Dodson, and Laura Spidell; her grandchildren Zachary Spidell, Turner Spidell, Jessica Stuebing, Lauren Petersen, and Katie Petersen; and her brother Lloyd Hickerson and his family.

Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, February 24th from 2 to 4pm at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home at 520 W Powell Blvd., Gresham, OR 97030.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve (www.prmdia.org/supportus.html) or the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).