In the wee hours of Friday morning, August 5, 2022, Dr. Robert Lynn Dodson took flight from his earthly life to be welcomed into his eternal life with the Savior that he so diligently served for over forty-five years. Four of those years he worked in Little Rock, Arkansas under the guidance and direction of Professor Ron Walker until he felt the call of God in his heart to go and serve the people of Tanzania, East Africa. A country that, he believed, desperately needed the gospel.

He was born in Fort Madison, Iowa on February 14, 1957, as the sixth of seven children. With four boys and three girls there was rarely a quiet moment in the old home on Avenue O. He lived there with his parents Ralph Thomas and Cecilia Caroline Dodson and five older siblings until they begin to marry and build families of their own. He and Ray were the last of the seven to leave the comfortable nest that their parents had provided for them. After Bob’s high school graduation he moved on to Clinton, Iowa to live with his middle brother Bill in hopes of obtaining employment. After a very short time spent filling out applications he landed a job working in a poultry packing plant as a fork lift driver. Being a gear head, that position suited him well, racing around the plant on four wheels. It was there that he met the young lady, Delores Diane Adams, that would come to be his wife of forty-six years. She was the daughter of a Baptist preacher serving there in Clinton, Iowa at the time they began dating. Little did Bob know that this would be the beginning of a very changed life. In November of 1975 coming to realize that he was a sinner and in need of a Savior he confessed and gave his whole life to serve the God that gave His very own Son for his sake. After only a short time of dating they committed themselves to holy matrimony on June 12, 1976. From that point onward they never looked back, embarking on a ministry that Bob was convinced in his heart that God had very specifically prepared him for. It was Bob’s familiar motto, “Ride the bull the full eight seconds.” He spoke it often and lived it even fuller. On August 5th the klaxon rang marking that Bob had held on and was now ready to jump from the bull ride after serving for thirty-two years as a missionary in Tanzania.

Beginning in September of 1990, after being approved by the Baptist Bible Fellowship International, Bob and Dee began their missionary service in Tanzania, East Africa. While serving with the Baptist Bible Mission of Tanzania, God enabled them to establish six churches that are now led by national leadership and touch the lives of countless folks with the gospel. In 2004, being chosen by the members of Team Tanzania and equipped by the Rawlings Foundation, Bob and Dee began the very long and arduous process of building and directing the development of the Highlands Camps, in Morogoro, Tanzania. This camp would be completely underwritten by the generous funding of the George Rawlings Foundation with their desired focus being that the gospel of Christ be presented to as many young people as we could possibly reach. After beginning the building in May 2007, we were excited to host our first group of campers of barely 200 in 2010. Over the next twelve years we would come to see the numbers of campers grow exponentially. Since 2010 to present we have had the amazing blessing of hosting over 243,000 campers and 84,000 professions of faith in Christ. And for all this Bob chose to give God all the honor and glory.

Robert (Bob) leaves behind a distinct legacy of faith, hope, and love for his family and for the gospel of the Savior that he served so diligently. Bob possessed a burning passion to study the scriptures, digging deeply, that he might better understand his faith and then teach and train the men of Tanzania that shared the same desire to further their understanding of their calling to lead their own flocks. Studying and teaching God’s Word was absolutely his forte’.

Bob was only the second of his siblings to leave his earthly life, being preceded by his parents Ralph and Cecilia and sister Betty Ballard. Bob is survived by his wife, Dee and their two children and their spouses: Nathan J.T. Dodson (Angie Renee) and Delicia DeAnne Hendrickson (Jared Dale) and five wonderful grandchildren: Claire Grace, Lucas Dean, Molly Lynn, Samuel Jonathan, and Wynne Ranae, all the children of Nathan and Angie. Also surviving are two sisters and their spouses: Carol V. Holtkamp (James), Doris A. Kassymeyer (Ralph), and three brothers and spouses: Ben Dodson (Bonnie), Ralph Dodson (Chris), and Ray Dodson (Nancy). Bob was also blessed to be called uncle by twenty-six nieces and nephews. Also surviving are two sisters-in-law and their spouses: Deborah May (Merle), Donna Scott (Hubert) and one brother-in-law: J. David Adams (Tawnia). Also privileged on his wife’s side of the family to be Uncle to twelve nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service given in his honor at Seminole Baptist Temple, Springfield, Missouri on Friday, August 19, 2022. Visitation at 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and memorial service 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome to come and celebrate the life and passing of a very special husband, father, brother, uncle, friend and missionary. Bob will be buried in Saraland, Alabama near his children, a city that Bob came to appreciate as his hometown.