Chester Curtin Dodd, Jr. died on January 26 at the age of 96, at the Arthur B. Hodges Center at Edgewood Summit, Charleston, WV. Chet was born January 12, 1928, in Spencer, WV, the oldest child of Chester C. Dodd, Sr. and Margaret Bliss Goad Dodd. He grew up in Spencer and spent many happy summers at the Dodd farm in Sabula, PA and at Camp Gauley. He graduated from Spencer High School with the class of 1945 and then attended The Ohio State University, receiving a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. While at OSU he joined Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He became a life-long loyal fan of OSU football.

While attending OSU, he met Joan Marie Miller of Worthington, Ohio, daughter of Lester John Miller and Marie Margaret Medley and they married on December 17, 1949. Joan predeceased him on January 18, 2018,after 69 years of marriage. Besides his parents and wife, he is also predeceased by his sister, Barbara Starcher.

He is survived by three daughters, Margaret Joan "Jody" (Chip) Chatlain of Tarpon Springs, FL; Linda Ann (Robert) Fluharty of Charleston; and Kathryn Marie Hunt of Spencer; 11 grandchildren: Justin (Maggie), Beth (Chen), Anne and Chris Cottrill, John (Miguella), Megan, Michael (Lindsay), Robert (Sabrina) and David Fluharty, Chris (Crystal) and Jamie (Lucie) Hunt; nine cherished great-grandchildren: Madison, Garrett and Riker Hunt; Finn and Rowan Kenyon; Fiona and Bastian Perrill; and Olivia and Zana Fluharty. He is also survived by his sister, Margie Barnes, and his brother, Steven Dodd(Patty), and many beloved nieces and nephews.

After college, Chet joined his father in business with C.C. Dodd Construction in Spencer. In the 1960's he was an agent and manager for State Farm Insurance in Ohio. Later, he was Director of the Property and Casualty Division and Director of Agent's Licensingfor the WV Department of Insurance. In 1967, Chet rejoined his father at C.C. Dodd Oil and Gas for the remainder of his career.

Chet was an active civic leader for many years. He was a member of the Board of Traders Bank from 1971 to 2003 and Chairman from 1991 to 2003. He was past president of the Spencer Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was President of the Board of Directors of the Roane General Hospital and Presidentof the Roane County Chamber of Commerce. Chet was chairman of the Roane County Republican Party in 1975 and a director of the Roane County Field Club. He served as president of the WV Independent Oil and Gas Association (1978); President of Independent Petroleum Association of America (1978); and member of the Appalachian Geological Society. He was a 50-year member of the Spencer Masonic Lodge. In his later years he served as President of the Edgewood Summit Resident's Association (2006).

As a boy, Chet sang boy soprano in the church choir and played cornet in the Jr. High and High School band. As a Freshman at Ohio State, he auditioned and was accepted to sing with the prestigious Symphonic Choir. Later, he sang with the Richard Johnson ChoralEnsemble, a semi-professional group in Columbus, OH, and the SPEBSQSA (barbershop). For many years he sang in the yearly production of Handel's Messiah in Charleston. He sang in a church choir continuouslyfor seven decades.

He enjoyed performing in plays put on by the Roane Arts and Humanities Council, especially singing in the Barbershop quartet in "Music Man" and his role as Rabbi in "Fiddler on the Roof." He also performed in numerous plays with the Ad Hoc Players at Edgewood Summit.

Chet was a devout and active member of the United Methodist faith throughout his life. He served as Sunday School teacher, lay leader, choir director, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of St. John's UMC in Spencer. He was appointed lay delegate to the WV UMC Annual Conference for 20 years and to twoJurisdictional Conferences. He served on the Conference's Finance and Administration, Conference Camps and Education, Connectional Ministries, and Equitable Compensation Committees and the Laity Ministry Team. He was a trustee for the WV United Methodist Foundation.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 31, at Taylor-Vandale Funeral Home in Spencer, WV. Visitation begins at noon with the service at 1 p.m. A brief graveside service will follow.

The family would like to thank the dedicated staff at Edgewood Summit and the Arthur B. Hodges Center at Edgewood Summit for their thoughtfulness and care of Dad throughout the nearly 20 years he lived there.

Through his leadership and example, the Dodd family has supported outdoor Christian education at Spring Heights Education Center in Spencer for many years. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the C. C. Dodd Charitable Trust, c/o the United Methodist Foundation, 500 Virginia St. E., Suite 750, Charleston, WV 25301.