Timothy John Dodge

Timothy John Dodge of Alexandria, VA passed away on January 8, 2024. He was born on August 6, 1958 in Washington, DC to Francis E. Dodge and Margaret Foulger Dodge. Both parents predeceased him. He is survived by his sisters, Diane L. Dodge and Elaine M. Dodge, his Aunt Helen, and his cousins.

Tim was born premature and had some developmental problems from the start. He was diagnosed with minimal brain disfunction, resulting in developmental delay and impairment of cognitive abilities. He had learning disabilities and dyslexia. As a child, Tim took part in a program at George Washington University that helped him improve and overcome the challenges of dyslexia. As an adult, he was still using techniques he learned there to self-correct and increase his reading skill. He became an avid reader on various topics and often surprised his sisters with interesting tidbits of information from something he read.

Tim’s parents did their best to help prepare him for an independent life and to be mostly self-sufficient. His father taught him the rudiments of cooking and Tim became an adventurous chef, often experimenting with different spices and inventing new dishes. One dish his sister Elaine called a “deconstructed meatloaf” included potatoes and carrots and was surprisingly good!

Unfortunately, in his late teens and early adulthood, Tim began to suffer from mental illness that altered the course of his life. Some of the medicine in the early days had terrible side effects. Combined with his developmental issues, his life was often difficult. Ongoing medical improvements in the field of mental health benefited him. In recent years, he was helped immensely by the care he received at South County Intensive Case Management, particularly by Katrina Clay and her team. The family is grateful for their compassion and enormous patience with Tim. Katrina discovered the power of bribery with ice cream to achieve desired results!

Despite all his problems, there was one talent Tim had that was awesome. His knowledge of Rock music and musicians was amazing. He was like a savant, able to recall the most obscure facts about rock music and the bands that played it extending back more than 50 years! Sometimes he would be telling his sister Diane about someone she thought was a friend of his she hadn’t met yet. It would turn out to be some band member or drummer from an unknown group decades ago and his information was always correct. Sometimes he would play a song from a group she had never heard of, and it would be great! His collection of records and CDs is unlike any other. He also liked Classical and some Jazz, but Rock was his specialty.

A few years ago, Tim discovered Costco and it became a recreational activity for him. He developed “Costco Mania” and loved going there. He had to learn the hard way that what looks normal at Costco becomes humongous when you get it home!

Tim Dodge will be missed by his family, friends and caring neighbors.

The funeral/memorial service will be held on January 26, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 South Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Casual dress is acceptable. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to NAMI of Northern Virginia (National Alliance on Mental Health) https://nami-northernvirginia.org or the charity of your choice.