Melvin Ward Dorothy

M. Ward Dorothy, 93, of Davenport, died Thursday November 22, 2018 at the Good Samaritan Society, Davenport. Celebration of Life services will be held at 11 AM Tuesday November 27 at First Baptist Church, 1401 Perry Street, Davenport. Visitation will be at the church Tuesday from 10 AM until service time. Burial will be at 2 PM Tuesday in the Aledo Cemetery, Aledo, IL. with military honors presented by the Aledo VFW/American Legion.

Ward was born in 1925 in Mercer County, IL to Nathan and Florence Dorothy. He and his future wife, Evelyn, graduated together from Reynolds, IL high school in 1943. He served with the U.S. Navy Air Corps as a Torpedo Gunner in Japan from 1944-1946 and heard the atomic bomb explode when he was in Saipan. He married his high school sweetheart, Evelyn McGreer on June 9,1946 at Pine Bluff Methodist Church in Illinois City, IL.

After a few years of farming on the family farm he Co-pioneered the Mercer County Airport with Donn Johnson. He became a flight instructor at the Davenport Airport and a charter pilot. In 1963 he began a career in auto sales at various dealerships in Davenport and retired in 1990 from Strieter Motor Company.

He was an active member of First Baptist Church, Davenport; VFW Post 1571 Aledo, IL and American Legion, Reynolds, IL. In his earlier days he enjoyed flying his own plane, motorcycling and boating on the Mississippi River.

Survivors include his wife, Evelyn, two daughters: Debbie Duffy and Becky (Tom) Rasmussen, all of Davenport; daughter- in- law Carol Dorothy of Long Beach, CA; 4 grandchildren : Michelle (Bob) Blunk, Michelle Dorothy, Craig (Jen) Atzen and Jon (Shelly Stumme) Groves, and 10 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by one son, Michael Dorothy, one sister Marilyn Felio, one grandson Jeffrey Groves and one great granddaughter Elizabeth Atzen.

Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church.