Ronald Hope Dodd

Ronald Hope Dodd was born and raised on Tom Dodd nursery in Semmes, AL May 2nd, 1949. Like the plants grown on that nursery, Ronnie represented life, love, gratitude, strength, beauty, power and hope. As the camellias and azaleas provide oxygen to us, Ronnie breathed life into everyone around him. He was a brilliant, radiant beam of light with big hazel eyes that took you in and captivated you, with a smile that ran from one end of his face to the other. He would greet you with a slight twist of his head, and a firm handshake or a big hug, that felt like his body was made of solid steel but was somehow still soft to the touch. He never wanted to be the center of attention, but he was. People couldn’t help but be drawn to Ronnie. He was an incredible storyteller that left people hanging on his every word, and an even better listener. Ronnie made you feel special. He made you feel important, loved, smart, talented, extraordinary, like one of a kind. But really; he was all those things. Ronnie always put others before himself, even in death.

Ronnie had a gentle determination, the kind of determination that allowed him to turn a pile of red clay into acres and acres of beautiful plants. After Ronnie’s family sold their business, he started his own. Ronnie was determined, not to have the largest nursery with the most plants, but to be known for quality and perfection, to have a smaller selection of the most beautiful, well-tended plants in the area….and he did. No matter what the economy, the weather, or the competition threw at him, he tackled it… like an unstoppable Bama defense (ROLL TIDE!!) He never let a negative word come out of his mouth. He always saw the silver lining, thought positively, and truly believed all things would work for the good.

While Ronnie was sometimes very serious, he was also lighthearted. He loved a good Boudreaux and Thibodeau joke and was known to catch you off guard with a one-liner that always made you laugh. Ronnie was the kind of guy who never tried to be funny but just was. He just WAS a lot of things. He was the kind of Neighbor that dropped what he was doing and ran to help Mr. Jimmy when he drove his tractor into the ditch. He was the kind of Provider that would stay out all night looking for Gigi and Paws (the family rescue dogs) and then dissolve into tears when he finally found them. He was the kind of Believer who shared the gospel with the truck drivers who came to the nursery. He was the kind of Son who stepped in as the third generation to run the family business and did it with ease and success. He was the kind of Brother who took his little sister diving for golf balls in the pond at Azalea City Golf Course. He was the kind of Dad who drove non-stop across the country with his adult kids to ski in Jackson Hole, to camp and get kicked out of Big Sur National Park, then drive straight to Vegas to celebrate New Year’s. He was the kind of Stepfather who made “step” obsolete, who would have stepped through fire for Dana, Donny, and Danielle. He was the kind of Pop that would sling several hundred plants onto a truck by day and pat a baby to sleep by night. He was the kind of Husband who never got mad at his wife Patty…ever, who never left her side, who loved her company, and who adored and treasured her like no other. He was the kind of Man who always loved and always hoped…no matter what. His middle name was Hope, and so was he.

The reason Ronnie was so special was not just because he wanted to be or because God made him that way. It was because he had Jesus in his heart. You see, when we love Jesus, He transforms and molds us into His character. We reflect the image of Jesus when we know him intimately like Ronnie did. Ronnie celebrated his homecoming on October 22nd, 2021 at the age of 72 after an acute and sudden battle with Leukemia. The Lord was ready for Ronnie and has called him Home. At this very moment he is walking the “Kingdom nursery” with Jesus. He is celebrating, singing, laughing, and catching up with family and friends. But most importantly, he is praying and HOPEing that everyone still on this Earth will

come to know Jesus and join him there. “For through the eternal and living Word of God you have been born again. And this “seed” that he planted within you can never be destroyed but will live and grow inside of you forever.”- 1 Peter 23-24.

Ronnie was preceded in death by his father Joseph Hope Dodd, his mother Gloria Waters Dodd, and his sister Delores Dodd Kamphuis. He is survived by his wife Patricia Hatton Dodd; sisters Janet Dodd Holland (Don), Rhonda Dodd Stiers, Nicki Lynn Dodd, and Shelli Dodd Oliver; children Ashley Dodd Mayfield (Chris), Alan Christopher Dodd (Erica), Dana Pearson Schaub (Ricky), Donald Charles Pearson Jr. (Jocelyn), and Danielle Pearson-Belfiore (Josh); his grand-children Afton Lettie Mayfield, Mary Bowen Mayfield, Elijah Christopher Dodd, David Hope Dodd, Dylan Lee Dodd, Bryce William Dodd, Jacob Alexander “Alex” Cross II, Austin Robert Cross, and Amelia Grace Pearson (Millie- on the way).

Celebration of life for Ronnie will be held at 2pm Saturday October 30th at Radney Funeral Home Mobile, AL with Brother John Breland officiating. Interment will immediately follow on the grounds of First Baptist Church Cemetery Semmes, AL. The family will be receiving guests for visitation Saturday October 30th at 12pm until time of service at Radney’s.