Martha Turk Dodson, 80, of Crystal City died April 20, 2017, at her home. Mrs. Dodson taught freshman English in the University City and Festus school districts before retiring to a career as a homemaker, mother and citizen’s advocate for a number of local and regional causes. She served on the board of directors of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments; served on the 1972 Jefferson County Charter Commission; served on a grand jury convened to investigate prostitution in Jefferson County massage parlors; prosecuted a citizen complaint to the EPA regarding safety concerns at a local uranium processing facility; and threatened to lie down in the middle of Mississippi Avenue in Crystal City if city officials went forward with a proposal to pave over its bricks. As a member of the Crystal City Library Board, she helped expand and relocate the library from two small rooms in City Hall to its current location.
She was a member of Grace Presbyterian Church in Crystal City, the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women and PEO chapter FR. She and her husband enjoyed traveling and entertaining, frequently hosting cocktail and dinner parties, open houses and ice cream socials at their home. Born June 21, 1936, in Festus, she was the daughter of the late Elizabeth (Reid) and John Turk. She was preceded in death by her husband: Robert C. Dodson, for whom she was a devoted caregiver after he suffered a stroke in 2001.
She is survived by a son: Bill (Jennifer) Dodson of Imperial; two grandchildren: Nicholas Dodson and Sarah Dodson; a sister-in-law: Carolyn Turk of Austin, Texas; and caregivers Lahoma and Brandi Duvall and Brenda Brown.
She was preceded in death by a sister: Pat (Dick) Gruetzemacher; two brothers: James (Carolyn of Austin,Texas) Turk and John “Jack” (Dorothy Mae) Turk.
A memorial service is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at Grace Presbyterian Church in Crystal City, officiated by the Rev. Robert Watson. Memorials may be made to Circus Harmony at http://circusharmony.org/support.