Girard "Jerry" Harold Dodge

Jerry married his life-long partner Helen on July 15th, 1941. In their 73 years of marriage together, they lived in Florida and New Orleans before settling in Houston, where they raised their three daughters and lived for the remainder of their lives.

After joining the Navy as a pilot in 1940, Jerry served at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL, where he was the youngest flight instructor. During World War II, he served as a naval aviator flying transport missions to U.S. blimps based in the Caribbean and South America. In 1946 he retired from active military duty and went on to graduate from the University of Miami in 1950. That same year Jerry retired from the Naval Reserves with the rank of Commander. He later worked as a pilot instructor and flew for National Airlines before joining the FAA as an air traffic controller in 1958, which relocated Helen and him to New Orleans and, eventually, Houston. At the time of his retirement from the FAA in 1987, he was the oldest air traffic controller in the United States.

During their life in Houston, Helen and Jerry enjoyed competitive bowling and teaching country western dancing together. Jerry also enjoyed playing bridge, swimming, barbecuing, and working outside.

Jerry was preceded in death by his wife, Helen and their daughter, Linda DeSalvo. He is survived by daughter Karen Doyle, daughter and son-in-law Kathy and Charles Allen, son-in-law David DeSalvo, grandchildren Thomas, Patricia and Wendy Faterkowski, Sharon Cutler, and Tiffany, Ryan, and Justin DeSalvo, and great granddaughter Eva Cavalier.