Dodge

(from The Observer, Sarnia, November 16, 1991) 

Born in 1931, Bill Dodge moved from Wanstead to Watford in 1950. His first years in Watford were sent working with local Club Scouts and organizing a baseball team. In 1952 he married Maxine (1929 - 2007). By 1961 he had joined the Watford Volunteer Fire Department. 

In 1967, after working as a volunteer fire fighter, a full-time job came up with the Department of National Defence, working on the fire crew at the Ipperwash Army Camp. When the camp closed down in 1970, Bill transferred to Toronto's Pearson International Airport, employed by Transport Canada as a firefighter, for four and one-half years.

The Ipperwash position involved structural fire service, but the Toronto experience was crash and rescue. It meant dealing with fuel spills, mechanical failures and plane wheels not engaging. "With crash and rescue you do it once and do it right because you don't get a second chance." 

In 1973 he transferred to London's airport, to be closer to his family, who continued to live in Watford. 

In 1964 and 1965 Bill served two single years as Watford Councillor. He was elected again in 1976, sitting on Watford Council for two years. "I entered the race because I just wasn't satisfied with the Councillors and what they were doing," he said in an interview. That was followed by seven years as Deputy Reeve and three years as Reeve before being defeated in the 1988 election. Some of his contributions during those years as Reeve and Deputy Reeve include getting sidewalks for Main Street and an ambulance for the village. 

Bill and Maxine's son Kevin is an operations manager for Air Nova in Halifax, following a 14-year career with Air Ontario. Their daughter Colleen (Johnston) is a homemaker in Watford and has four children. 

Maxine was a proud member of the Red Hat Society. She was a dedicated fan of the ladies two-pitch team "The Runabouts" and a life long resident of Watford. 

Chapter 24 of 25 - Dodge Family

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