John was born on either July 25, or 26, 1923, in the little white house at Emerson Hospital. When he was just a toddler, his family moved from Littleton to Bedford, where his father had just opened a Ford dealership on the Great Road.

He grew up in a Bedford where everyone knew each other. His childhood was spent among the farms, rivers and woods of a town of about two thousand people. In the summer, the family would get up to Calder Hill Farm in Brookfield, New Hampshire as much as possible. John had lifelong friendships with some of the boys he grew up with and whenever asked could remember events from 80 years previous as if they had just happened. His fondest memories were of his father, Richard S. Dodge, who served as the Chief of the town's Volunteer Fire Department for many years.

Bedford was still sending its high school students to Lexington when he graduated in 1942, just at the start of the war. By early 1943, he was inducted at Fort Devens and travelled to Camp Swift in Texas. He learned in 2002, that a young soldier he saw die from sun stoke during maneuvers there was the fiancé of a girl from Woburn named Connie Hatson – a girl he married sixty years later.

He was in France in 1944 and '45 as part of Patton's Third Army and then spent almost a year in post-war Japan. While stationed in Japan in 1946, John found relief from the devastation around him by taking lessons from an elderly Japanese artist. For years that was the only story John told about World War II. Only in the 1990's did he start to talk more of the war. He kept in close touch with his army buddies, attended many of his unit's reunions, and organized the Boston reunion not long after the turn of the century.

John had known Frances Seften growing up, and by the late 40's they had fallen in love, marrying in 1952 and building their house on Old Billerica Road that same year. Frances had been married during the war and lost her husband soon after. Fran came to live on Old Billerica Road with her daughter, Julie, then 8. Their son, Richard was born in 1956.

After the war, John went on to graduate from the New England School of Art (now part of Suffolk University) and worked as a technical illustrator for Raytheon. In the late 1950's he took over operations at his dad's dealership and service station. By the late 60's he wanted to spend more time on art, so both businesses were sold.

John had a passion for collecting and over the years accumulated 50,000 antique images of New England and America. He used these images to create hand-colored murals that are on display from Saudi Arabia to the Custom House in Boston. Some of his favorite projects were Ryles Jazz Club and the S&S Deli in Cambridge, the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, and the Ocean House in Watch Hill. For years he created the artwork for the State Street Corporation Publications. He never really retired from art and could always produce a quick sketch.

John was a founding member of the Bedford Arts and Crafts Society, Bedford Santa Program and the Bedford Minutemen. He was a collector of 18th and 19th century ephemera for decades and belonged to the Ephemera Society of America. From 2008-2014, he served as the Bedford Town Historian, just at the time when Bedford TV was growing and was able to capture on video his wealth of memories of a lovely, bygone way of life – along with his never failing sense of humor and love of practical jokes because, as he would often point out, "the world needs more laughter." He could remember in detail funny events that happened 80 years before and make them come alive.

He always knew he was a very fortunate guy, and after meeting Father Louis Canino, who founded St. Francis House – the first homeless shelter in Boston – John made it his mission in life to do what he could to make a difference in the lives of people who were "down on their luck." Over 33 winters, his annual coat drive became a tradition that attracted welcome publicity from the Boston Globe and attracted people from not only Bedford, but neighboring towns. Over the years, he contributed thousands of coats to people who needed their warmth. And at every Voting Day, until a few years ago, he was bundled up in a chair outside the polls with a collection pot and his big smile – and Bedford was very generous to St. Francis House.

John was married to Frances for 49 years and she accompanied him on many of his old car journeys. He started collecting antique cars in the 1940's. His 1911 Cadillac was amongst the first autos on Route 128 in a parade organized by the state of Massachusetts. John's 1914 Ford touring car won the highest national award by the Henry Ford Museum, and his 1901 Oldsmobile competed at Newport for years.

After Frances' death in 2001, he married Constance Donovan and they shared 15 happy years. They were a mutual admiration society and her family welcomed him with open arms. In 2014, they sold their house in Bedford and moved to Assisted Living. Connie and John lived at Sunrise Senior Living in Burlington, just beyond Lahey Hospital, where he died suddenly. The years passed too quickly, but he left behind memories that will never fade because he was such a warm and wonderful man. In fact, the only thing he could not tolerate was intolerance.

Besides his wife Connie Dodge, he leaves his son Rick Dodge of Marblehead, daughter Julie Wright and her husband Bob of Chelmsford, stephdaughters Margaret Donovan and her partner Richard Hughes of New York City, Gail Hartwell and her husband Raymond (Bick) of Bedford, as well as Connie's stepson Nick Stavropoulos, who was John's right hand man through many frigid coat drives. He leaves seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and hundreds of friends. John was predeceased by his brother, Robert Dodge and sister, Nancy Dodge Lyons.

Visitation will be at the Bedford Funeral Home, 167 the Great Rd., Bedford, MA, on Sunday, August 7, from 2:00-5:00 PM. A graveside service will take place at Shawsheen Cemetery, Shawsheen Rd., Bedford, on Monday, August 8, at 11 AM followed by a memorial service at The First Parish in Bedford, 75 the Great Rd., Bedford, at noon.

In lieu of flowers, donations to John's beloved St. Francis House Homeless Shelter, at www.stfrancishouse.org or by mail to St. Francis House, P.O. Box 120499, Boston, MA 02112-0499.