Melissa Dodson

Melissa Ann Dodson died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. She was born Aug. 26, 1992, in Frederick, Md., to Michelle Marie Dodson (Pacelli) and Charles Lewis Dodson III. She is survived by her mother and siblings, Lisa Marie Dodson, Catherine Mary Dodson and Jonathan Lowell Moran, as well as her two adored nephews, Sean Charles D'Angelo (7) and Christopher David Carter (6).

Melissa loved animals, especially her dogs Barcardi and Scrappy and her cat Gal. She liked to fish and hunt and was mechanically gifted, graduating from York Technology Institute after high school, where she studied motorcycle mechanics.

Melissa loved to laugh and have a good time with her family and many, many friends. She was the proverbial life of the party. In a recent online post, she defended her right to swear uninhibitedly, and that was the essence of Melissa: unapologetic, authentic and full of feeling.

Melissa had a rough few years, starting with the loss of her father, Chuck, in 2009, and followed by that of her close friends Hanna Bragg in 2012 and T.J. Burdette in 2014. She had a big heart and took these losses hard. Despite her troubles, Melissa never stopped caring about others. Just last season, her goal was to hunt a deer to donate to a local food pantry. She was a devoted daughter, sister and friend to everyone, and she will be terribly missed.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, December 30, 2018 from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 8 East Ridgeville Blvd., Mount Airy, Maryland 21771.
A celebration of Melissa's life will immediately follow at the funeral home at 2:00 p.m.

Interment Private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the family in care of Michelle Dodson or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Expressions of sympathy may be offered at StaufferFuneralHome.com.