Roger Eugene Dodge

Roger Eugene Dodge was born April 10, 1933, the beloved youngest of five children, in Lexington, NE. He went on to live an extraordinary life guided by principles of industriousness, honor, service, adventure and loyalty.

He died May 13, 2026, surrounded by his three children in his apartment at Maple Ridge Senior Living Community, in Ashland, Oregon. He was 93.

Roger's life will be celebrated at a private family service in September at the Robb Memorial Cemetery in Lexington.

He was born to Hugh and Esther Dodge. Times were difficult, but he didn't know it. He and his siblings gleefully chased the trains that went through town, scavenging coal that fell from the coal cars to heat their own home.

Roger was a great father, excellent husband and fantastic storyteller. In high school and after, he worked as a newspaper photographer. He also drove race cars and was the winner of the NASCAR "Trophy Dash" in North Platte, Nebraska, in 1952.

He met the love of his life, Bernita May Terwilliger, at the diner across the street from the newspaper office where she worked. Not only was she a beauty, but she also made the best milkshake he'd ever had, and he was hooked.

He joined the Army to avoid being drafted after the couple married. He tested at the top of his class in mathematics and was assigned to become a land surveyor for the Army. Among his stations was Okinawa, Japan. During his time in the army, he climbed Mount Fuji and dined with a prince from Siam (now Thailand).

After his Army service, Roger and Bernita settled in Stinson Beach, CA. He used the GI Bill to take classes and earn his surveyor's license. Later, they moved to Manteca, CA, where he worked as the town land surveyor. There, Bernita designed a house in the shape of a triangle and Roger built it himself, working nights and weekends. The home included a sandbox for their children.

Later, they moved to Campbell, CA, and Roger became the town land surveyor in Los Gatos, CA. Eventually, he started his own private land surveying business, which was very successful. He would work in the field during the day and then plot out maps in the evening while his favorite shows, such as Gunsmoke, played on the nearby television.

After their children were grown and out of the house, Roger and Bernita moved to a home in Penn Valley, Calif. where they were surrounded by nature and delighted by deer and wild turkeys who would visit their backyard that was open to a forested mountain.

Despite moving to Penn Valley, Roger continued to pursue his surveying career in the Bay Area until he was 91. Last year, Roger moved to his final home at the Maple Ridge Senior Living Community in Ashland, OR. where he could be close to his beloved granddaughter, Tiffany Allen, who also is a nurse practitioner.

His life was one of service, and he spent many days and weekends helping others through the Lions Club. One of his favorite roles was supporting high school students with grants. He would seek out funding and then pore through the applications to find students deserving of scholarships. He served as the club president about a half-dozen times, and even became president of the Lion's Eye Foundation. Over his life, he made many deep and long-lasting friendships that he treasured until his last days.

Despite his outgoing nature and industriousness, he always had time for his children, Daryn, Dani and Deena. Whether it was meeting his son at the end of a multi-day hike, hanging up lights for his eldest daughter's art installations or searching for lizards on a river bed with his youngest daughter, he always made the time.

He also was devoted to his grandchildren, Tiffany Allen, John Dodge, Jessica Alexander and Marcus Dodge; and great grandchildren Etta May Allen and David Roger Muñoz-Dodge.

Roger's life was built, quite literally and figuratively, with his own hands: houses, maps, a business, a family, friendships and a legacy of service. He gave freely, whether it was his time, his skill, his stories, his support or the candy he kept tucked in his shirt pocket. He leaves behind a family who adored him, a community made better by his service and a lifetime of stories that will be told with gratitude, laughter and love.

Published in Los Gatan · August 4, 2026