Carol Anne Dodd

Nov 19, 1934 -

Jan 15, 2025

Carol Anne Dodd, a daughter of Anchorage, Alaska, wife, mother and homemaker extraordinaire, died on Jan. 15, 2025, at age 90, at home.

Carol Anne was a mother not only to her own children, but also to their friends. She was playful and clever with words. She composed poetry on the fly, making comic verse out of the mundane and then singing it through the day.

She and her husband, Bob Dodd, built a house in the Inlet View neighborhood in1965 and lived there ever since. She devoted herself to keeping it beautiful, inside and out. She was an excellent gardener, taking much pride in her flowers, particularly the peonies in her front yard.

She loved all dogs, especially her Icelandic sheepdogs, Pete and Ollie.

She was a member of the Artist Guild of Anchorage and a talented crafter. Hobbies included sewing, knitting, refinishing antiques and home remodelling. She sewed detailed doll clothes and stuffed animals for her children and their friends. She appreciated art and painted mostly landscapes and still lifes, in oils, watercolor and pastels.

Her volunteer service included elementary classroom activities and field trips. She later became a member of the Anchorage Historical Society.

Carol Anne Harrison was born on Nov. 19, 1934, at the Railroad Hospital in Anchorage. She grew up in downtown Anchorage. Her father, Jack Harrison, was an engineer with the Alaska Railroad, and later vice president of Anchorage Sand & Gravel. Her mother, Lorene Harrison, founder of Anchorage Community Choir, was also the proprietor of a popular downtown shop for ladies called The Hat Box, located on G Street and at other locations over the years.

As a child, Carol Anne enjoyed traveling to Kansas to visit her maternal relatives. Aunt Nina Cutherbertson and grandparents Ella and Math Cuthbertson were some of her favorite people on earth.

Her childhood took place during World War II and she had stories about air raid warnings, evacuations and foxholes. In her teens, she was a Fur Rendezvous princess, a model and among the first usherettes at the 4th Avenue Theatre when it opened.

Carol Anne attended elementary through high school in Anchorage, graduating from Anchorage High in 1952. She maintained lifelong relationships with many friends, most of whom have passed. She talked daily with Mary Jane "Ming" Wolfe Sherman, her best friend since they were 8 years old.

She attended Whitman College in Walla Walla for a year.

Alaska Airlines hired her as a stewardess in 1955. She loved the two years she spent flying around the great state of Alaska.

She met Bob on New Year's Day in 1957, at the Cloud Hopper Lounge in the Anchorage Airport, and fell in love. They married on Nov. 4, 1957.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Robert V. Dodd; children, Nancy Dodd of Homer, Tracee (Craig) Studbrud of Everett, Wash., Kelly (Paul) Watt of St. Joseph, Mich., Diane Dodd of Crested Butte, Colo., Edward (Kari) Dodd of Anchorage and Romney Dodd of Anchorage; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by Abby Minkiewitz, her devoted caretaker. The family would like to thank Providence Hospice for care that allowed Carol Anne to spend her last days in comfort at home.

At Carol Anne's request, the family is not holding a service. In lieu of flowers, she would have wanted donations to dog rescue organizations.