OBITUARY Peter Wolfe Dodge December 8, 1945 – November 11, 2018 Peter Wolfe Dodge passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, November 11, 2018 after a lengthy illness with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable disease. He was uncomplaining to the end. Peter was born in New Orleans on December 8, 1945, to George Whitfield Dodge, Jr. and Daisy Glenn Wolfe Dodge.
He was predeceased by his parents as well as his brother, George W. Dodge, III. He attended Metairie Park Country Day School and Garland School in Chester, New Jersey. He returned to New Orleans and was happy to earn his GED while attending Fortier High School.
He graduated from LSUNO with a degree in History and Political Science. For the majority of his career, he worked in his family’s business, American Coffee Company, in sales and management. He served on the Board of Directors and held the position of Corporate Secretary until his retirement in 1997.
His passion was woodworking, sparked in Kenneth Dike’s shop class at Country Day. He was never any happier than when he was fashioning custom architectural millwork, cabinets, and furniture for family, friends and clients. He built sash and doors, cabinetry, armoires, desks, a mantelpiece, a library installation, tables and a doll house for his children’s Montessori school, a large mahogany table for Room 8 at Country Day, and many beloved English garden benches.
A favorite project was a rowboat, which he built following the lines of an old Jahncke skiff, and a pirogue made along with his son, Orin, and father-in-law, Waldemar Nelson. He also loved cooking, which he learned watching Amelia Robinson, the beloved family cook, when he was a child. He said that she could prepare the best food with very simple ingredients, and that, in the fifteen years she worked for them, he rarely saw her cook the same meal twice.
He loved preparing and partaking in meals with his family and friends. There was no place Peter would rather be than playing a round of golf with his buddies on “the Golden Gulf Coast” and attending golfing outings around the state. In 1993, he was on the first Kairos Prison Ministry team to enter Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola led by John Musser, Trinity parishioners, and others.
The four day retreat takes the participants on a journey that demonstrates the unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. It was appropriate that he was assigned to be a runner bringing in special meals prepared for all participants. He continued to support and to serve Kairos and also served as a spiritual advisor to a resident on Death Row for many years.
As he liked to say, the only membership he held was that of the human race. His favorite expression when asked about the outcome of a situation was, “We’ll see”. One thing he was certain of was that his faith in Jesus Christ would see him home.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Virginia “Ginger” Nelson Dodge; their dear children, Daisy Glenn Dodge, Orin Charles Dodge, and Georgia Whitfield Dodge Petagna (Jansen); and his precious grandson and namesake, Peter Francis Petagna, “Pete”. He is also survived by his brother, Richard Charles Dodge (Gail Pons) and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Drs.
Robert Miles, Siddharth Bhansali, Charles Smith, and Joseph Lasky, and others for their kind support in Peter’s struggle with IPF. A memorial service will be held in New Orleans at Trinity Episcopal Church on Wednesday, November 14, 2018. Visitation will be at 11:30 am followed by a service at 12:30.
Family and friends are warmly invited to attend. Inurnment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Trinity Church, 1329 Jackson Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130.
The family invites you to share your thoughts, fond memories, and condolences online at www.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
