http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QauWjZs4bsnug

An Original Love Story 
Shared by Sally Powell 

“This, my story, is a very old story.”

“In the hills of life there are two trails. One lies along the higher sunlit fields where those who journey see afar, and the light lingers even when the sun is down; and one leads to the lower ground, where those who travel, as they go, look over their shoulders with eyes of dread, and gloomy shadows gather long before the day is done.

“This, my story, is the story of a man who took the trail to the lower ground, and of a woman, and how she found her way to the higher sunlit fields.

“In the story, it all happened in the Ozark Mountains, many miles from what we of the city call civilization. In life, it has all happened many, many times before, in many, many places. The two trails lead afar. The story, so very old, is still in the telling.”

By Harold Bell Wright, from “Shepherd of the Hills”

As the above excerpt was borrowed from a story that took place in the picturesque Ozark Mountains of Missouri, so takes place the true-life story of love, excitement, and commitment in the lives of Edwin and Sally Dodds.  Their lives are made up of the stuff found in storybooks, of princes and princesses, where adventure and dreams do come true.  Our story, is about a man and a woman who found their way to those higher sunlit fields.  This, our story is a very old story but is still in the telling.

On April 19th, 1930, Edwin Durham Dodds was born in Salem, Missouri, the youngest son of seven children.  Edwin enjoyed fishing and hunting with his friends and played basketball for Salem High School for 3½ years.  He disliked baseball, not knowing that someday he would marry the granddaughter of a major-league baseball player by the name of Elmer Jacobs.  During Elmer’s career in the 1920’s, he was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, the White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Francisco Seals, and the Seattle Indians, just to name a few.  Most importantly, he was loved and adored by Sally as her very own “Papa Jacobs.”

Edwin worked for his father’s trucking company, Dodds Trucking, from the time he turned 14 until he was 18 years old, at which time he began medical school at Missouri University.  Edwin pursued his education in the medical field for a year and a half, mostly to please his mother, Elisabeth Durham Dodds, granddaughter of a prominent physician and drug store owner in Salem, Missouri.  However, when the Korean War started, he saw it as his golden opportunity to escape the boredom of a desk and reach for his lifelong dream -- to fly with the United States Air Force! 

In August of 1950, he enlisted and graduated top of his radar-mechanic class, receiving a promotion to corporal for his excellent grades.  At the same time, Edwin also qualified for the Aviation Cadets program, and his dream began to take flight.

Six years younger than Edwin, Sally Joann Bixler was born March 9, 1936, and lived with her Aunt Fannie and Uncle Albert from the time she was two years old.  This was during the depression years, and it was common for families to assist each other with the burden of rearing children.  Although Sally’s parents were still living, and she also spent time in their home over the years, Sally preferred life on the farm with Fanny and Albert.  Here, Sally enjoyed every child’s dream of ponies, puppies, butterflies, and “hollyhock dolls” floating on the goldfish pond.  Fanny and Albert had no children, so raising Sally filled a void in their lives like nothing else could have done.  They also helped raise Sally’s older brother, Bill, and younger sister, Gerry, during many of those formative years. These years are counted as some of the most precious in Sally’s “Bank of Memories”.

Sally’s love of life and enthusiasm carried over into her high school years where she was voted class cheerleader every year… every year except her sophomore year when she did not try out because Fannie had encouraged her to pursue academics rather than “extra-curricular activities”.  In October of 1953, she was involved in a five-times-rollover car accident that left her knees in no shape for cheerleading.  Despite this setback, she remained cheerleader for the senior class, in a “limited” capacity.

Sally also received the lead part in the senior play, “Too Young, Too Old,” without even trying out and was a runner up in the 1953 “Miss Salem” contest.  The following year she was voted queen of that same contest and took her place on the throne.  During these years she spent many happy hours writing poems for the school yearbook, singing with a school trio for the “Glee Club”, and earning extra money by painting murals on the town’s store windows at Christmas time.  Throughout her high school years, she was also a soda jerk at Vandevoort’s Drug store where our love story began one very special day in 1953.  But, before we go there, let’s look back to what was keeping Edwin busy while he was waiting for Sally to grow up.  

Throughout 1951 and 1952, Edwin spent his time in Hillfield, Utah, and St. Angelo and Big Springs, Texas.  His first aviation flight took place in a T-6 Texan in November of 1951, the love of the skies followed him the rest of his life.  In Big Springs, Edwin flew the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, and it was here he became a 2nd Lieutenant and received his wings; quite a momentous occasion in his young life.  Edwin graduated top three out of 100 in his class, and Sally liked to insert that Edwin always had a reputation on every base for being a real “TOP GUN”!

1952 and 1953 saw Edwin in Las Vegas, Nevada, getting acquainted with a new friend – the F-86 Saber Jet.  This was Edwin’s favorite of all the planes he flew, but the B-58 Hustler runs a very, very close second.  It was here that Edwin received a 38% score during an air-to-air gunnery exercise.  Now, this may seem like a very bad score at first glance, however a 38% would be an average score for a GOOD instructor considering that the students only averaged about 5%! It was a very “pleasing” score to Edwin and his commanding officers.  This probably had something to do with Edwin being selected for the 4th Fighter Wing in Korea during the Korean War.  This was the “Best of the Best” outfit with a reputation for being a “Big-Mig-Killing” outfit.  Edwin was thrilled with his assignment!

In March of 1953, Edwin went back to Salem for a few weeks of leave before heading to Korea.  It was here that his life would be forever changed by a “Not-So Chance” meeting with the love that would become his life…I mean “wife.”  Edwin’s brother-in-law, Clyde Dale, had gone to the Vandevoort’s Drug store for some baby necessities for his wife Diana, Edwin’s closest sister.  He came back with the tale of a cute soda jerk who worked at the store and insisted Edwin must go down and “check her out”.  Edwin took his advice and headed straight to the drug store; the same drug store he and his friends had vowed years earlier to never step foot in again. 

Sally Bixler, had just turned 17, and on that day, unbeknownst to her, her life would change forever.  It was a day that would never be forgotten by either of them.  That day when a very self-assured and handsome young man walked into a drug store, ordered a coke, and sat down to talk awhile with a cute soda jerk.  Grand things can come from the simplest of moments.  It was later that same evening, as Sally  was sitting in a fairly empty gymnasium, watching an Alumni basketball game, that this same debonair young man walked in with a friend.  She was pleasantly surprised when they came and sat down right next to her, after all, most of the bleachers were completely empty.

“So”, Edwin said, “who’s going to win?”  “The Salem boys, of course,” replied Sally with undisguised pride for her team.  So, Edwin bet a milkshake on the Alumni; knowing it was a losing bet.  Of course, you can guess the outcome.  As Edwin had hoped, the alumni lost, and Sally won a milkshake.  Edwin was the grand prize winner of a date with this beautiful, intriguing girl.  The next day Edwin came to the drug store to pay up his debt.  Sally informed him “then and there” that she would NOT be making her own milkshake!  This was her way of making sure she got a “real” date with this handsome, young jet pilot who’d entered her life so suddenly.  It was decided that Edwin would pick Sally up at her friend’s house after her “Trio” practice later that evening. 

Sally was like a daughter to her Aunt and Uncle Radke, and Fannie was very protective over Sally. In Sally’s words, Fannie was like a modern day Sherlock Holmes; strict rules and not much ever got past her, not even by Sally who was known for her quick and clever mind and ability to outsmart the best of them.

This made it fairly difficult for Sally to have a date; especially a date with an older, (by six years) Air Force jet pilot.  Sally knew that Aunt Fannie would never agree to her date with Edwin, as he would be considered a threat to Fannie’s plans of keeping Sally close by, even after marriage.  Fannie tried to encourage Sally towards one of the “local” boys, Jimmy Edwards in particular, or anyone who would be a safe bet for never leaving their little hometown.  An Air Force man was definitely not what Fannie had in mind for her sweet Sally!

So, in order to keep her date a secret from her aunt, Sally was forced to wear a white shirt, which she’d spilled chocolate on at the drugstore, earlier in the day.  Sally knew if she changed her shirt just to go down the street to her friend’s house for Trio practice, her aunt would smell a rat – a big one.  She had to leave that shirt on, but tried to cover the stain with her cheerleading cardigan.  Many years later, Edwin admitted to noticing the stain that evening and thinking it strange that Sally would go on a first date with a stained shirt.  He did not realize that the stain was the price she paid for that date with him.  Edwin also admitted that if he’d known of Fannie’s feelings towards him, he probably wouldn’t have taken Sally out at all. 

Edwin picked Sally up at her friend’s house after practice, and they had their shakes at a little hamburger joint close by. When he brought her home about 10:00 PM and walked her to the door, two hours after she’d been expected from practice, Fannie met them with a few choice words directed at Edwin. Sally was sure that she’d never see Edwin again, after his close encounter with Fannie, but she later learned that he was not so easily dissuaded.

The next day, Edwin once again left his little hometown, this time headed for Korea; his home for the next year.  In Kimpo, Korea, Edwin flew his own F-86 Sabre, the Susie San, in the 4th Fighter Wing, but he never once had to shoot down a mig.  He later considered this one of the bigger blessings in his life as God spared him from the pain of such memories.  While in Korea he also worked in combat Ops, which he recalled with fond memories; however, one of his favorite memories of Korea was this:

Edwin’s mentor was Captain Ralph Par, whom Edwin considered to be the best pilot he’d ever seen; an “ace” by anyone’s standards.  Captain Par had shot down nine migs in only 47 missions, compared with the other aces that had the same number of migs in an average of 120 missions.  One afternoon during an air combat exercise (otherwise known as a “dog fight”) with Captain Par, Edwin managed to get behind the experienced fighter ace and place him dead in his sights.  If it’d been true combat, Captain Par would’ve made an unexpected landing that day.  This remained one of the highlights in the life of that young jet pilot.  It was likely a day that Captain Par remembered for many years as well.

Edwin spent the month of May 1954 in Salem, and spent each of those beautiful evenings with Sally, mostly double dating with Jack Heavin (Jay Heavin’s dad) or Harold and Mary Butler.  When Edwin left Salem the next time, he made Sally promise to write.  She did promise, but only on the condition that Edwin would write her first.  In those days, for the most part, girls were taught courtship etiquette and Sally especially prided herself on not making the chase too easy for any suitor.  Play “hard to get” was always her motto.

Sally graduated high school in the summer of 1954, and that same fall she left Salem to live in St. Louis with her father, Edgar Bixler, while attending Harris Teacher’s College and working at a large department store by the name of Famous and Barr.

One weekend home, Edwin ran into Sally; or you could say, Sally ran into him.  While driving around town with her friend Mary Brown (Butler), a fellow cheerleader, Sally saw Edwin’s car and was very excited to see that he was home for the weekend.  However, when the girls stopped to talk to him, Sally was surprised to find that Edwin was not overly excited to see her; instead he seemed rather distant and cold.  Perplexed, she asked what was wrong, and he answered, “You told me that if I’d write to you, you’d write me back.”  Sally replied, “Yes, but you never wrote to me.”  “Yes, I did,” Edwin said.

At first, Sally was surprised to hear this because she had never received a letter from Edwin, but it didn’t take long to put “two and two” together.  Her dear and loving aunt Fannie had come to Sally’s “rescue” once again.  In order to prevent Sally from getting “too involved” with an older Air Force man, Fannie had intercepted all those sweet love letters.  Sally understood the love that had motivated her aunt’s actions, but, although she loved her aunt for caring so deeply, she determined that all future correspondence should be sent through Mary Brown’s address, to prevent any further damage to her budding romance with Edwin.

August of 1954 found Edwin in Del Rio, Texas where he’d been selected to go as a “Fighter-Gunner Training” instructor.  This was an honor as many of his fellow 4th Fighter Wing pilots had been placed in boring radar-monitoring positions.   This would never do for a young jet pilot who’d been destined for the skies!  While at Del Rio, Edwin had a T-33 at his disposal, and many weekends he would fly home to Salem.  Anyone who has spent time at the Dodds’ home has heard Sally speak of the “victory rolls” Edwin would perform over her house.  He’d call her and tell her to be outside at a certain time, and there he’d come swooping through the clouds; Her knight in bright shining armor!  Not many men can lay claim to that level of courtship, and it captured her heart.

In the fall of 1954, Edwin made 1st Lieutenant while in Del Rio. It’s a good thing, too, because Sally always joked that there was no way she would have married anyone less than a 1st Lieutenant!   During the Christmas holidays of 1954, Edwin came home on leave, and on January 1st of 1955, at her Aunt Fannie’s home, Edwin proposed marriage to Sally.  He had made the decision that he could not live another day without her, and he entreated her persistently to come away with him, back to Del Rio.  They would be married in Oklahoma, where they would be able to skip the three day waiting period.  Sally described the scene as follows: 

“Edwin was pulling on one arm, trying to get me to pack my clothes and leave immediately with him, while Fannie was pulling on my other arm, saying, “Sally, don’t you do this! You just can’t do this!”  Fannie was having a complete Apple-plexy (‘meltdown’ is our modern-day term), wringing her hands and following us around the house, frantic that Edwin was going to talk me into eloping with him.”

After a bit of this scene, Sally was finally able to convince Edwin that she could not go with him right away as she had to complete her final exams at school.  If she left school before doing so, everything to this point would have been a waste of effort.  Sally promised him she would think about his proposal and call him when she got back to school.  To Edwin’s chagrin, Sally went back to St. Louis and he went back to Texas. 

In the two weeks before Sally finally called him, Edwin’s mind had cleared a little, and he’d given a lot of thought to what his offer of marriage really entailed.  He described those weeks as being a bit tense, hoping she’d say “Yes,” but, at the same time, terrified that she would say, “Yes.”  The responsibilities of wedded life loomed large ahead, and Edwin was not even sure if he’d be able to afford marriage.   When the phone rang, and Sally’s voice came over the line, informing him that she had made the decision to accept his proposal, all she heard on the other end of the phone was, “Uh, well…Uh, well, well…Uh…"  This became a well-rehearsed story for many years to come.

Somehow, they did manage to tie-the-knot on February 20th, 1955.  It was fortunate for Sally that weddings were fairly simple in those days.  A cocktail dress, color or shape was not important, and a few friends made the perfect day.  A bit of wedding cake, a few pictures, and it was off for a honeymoon in  Acapulco, Mexico where Sally got a terrible case of strep throat.  Luckily, Edwin and Sally were always good at making friends, and their newest friend they met on vacation in Acapulco, was Dr. Kafka; an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist from New York.  A few sweet memories later and it was off to military life in Del Rio, Texas.  Fannie’s worst nightmare had come true: Sally had said goodbye to her little hometown of Salem and the sweet days of childhood, never to return again aside from a short visit once in awhile throughout her married life.

While still newlyweds in Del Rio, Edwin was asked to apply for the Air Force’s Aviation team – the Thunderbirds.  His Squadron Commander and Squadron Operations Officer, both felt it would be a step in the right direction for him.  He was deeply honored to be considered for this position, but it was here that he made one of his first big decisions for his new little family. Thunderbird life required seven months of the year away from home, and Edwin knew it was just too high a price to pay.  After all, he was the high school senior who had gone on record with his life’s aspiration to “Marry the right girl and have a lot of children.”

 It was just before Edwin and Sally moved from Texas to Chandler, Arizona that Edwin and Sally’s lives changed yet again when Diana Lynn Dodds joined their little family circle on November 19th, 1955.  Then, on January 6th, 1957, while at the Williams AFB in Arizona, the Dodds family welcomed its second new addition; Victoria (Vicky) Lynn Dodds. 

While at Williams AFB, Edwin trained many pilots on the F-86 Saber Jet, the same plane he had flown while in Korea. One of these pilots was a Japanese man who had been a pilot for Japan during the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 when Edwin was only 11 years old.  Major Kanahiro, while at dinner at the Dodds home, informed them proudly that he had 19 kills during that attack. When he saw they were horrified by his revelation, in broken English he quickly tried to make them understand, “No, no; kills, engines on runways.  Each engine count as a kill; four-engine plane, four kills!”   

Although Edwin had not joined the Thunderbirds, there were still many weeks when he was away on “Alert” in Spain or England.  These “Alert” periods lasted for four weeks, every two or three months. 

Although it was hard on a young, growing family, it did have its benefits.  He got to spend R&R skiing in the Austrian Alps in Garmish, Germany or sunbathing in Majorrca (an island in the Mediterranean which is Spanish owned).  Here he’d ride scooters across the island and lay on the beach all day.  It probably didn’t make Sally feel any better being at home with the children, knowing he was off in the Alps or on a beach somewhere, but she kept herself busy with her home, her children, and her bridge parties with the other Air Force wives who were also keeping the “home-fires burning”.

In addition to being away on alert, there were times when Edwin was required to be away for further schooling, such as Squadron Officer’s school in Alabama.  It was here that Edwin was voted by his classmates as “Most likely to make general.” 

In 1957, the growing Dodds family moved to Wichita, Kansas where Leisha Lynn Dodds joined the family on March 30th, 1958.  While here, Edwin qualified on the B-47 Stratojet, a precursor to the B-58 Hustler, and was also in charge of the Lockheed T-33 section.  After a couple of years there, in the spring of 1959, they were off to Whiteman AFB in Knobnoster, Missouri; only 185 miles from their hometown of Salem.  Edwin made captain here in 1959, and little Eddie, the fourth child of six, had the privilege of being able to tell all that he was born in “Knobnoster”, Missouri on May 30th, 1960.  On the day Edwin made captain, the Dodds family bought a new Cadillac convertible in celebration.  Sally had told her Harris Teacher College friends that one day she would own a car just like that, that was just one of the dreams Edwin made come true for her.  In Wichita, Edwin again worked with the B-47’s and also qualified on the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger.

In 1963 it was back to Texas (Carswell), where Edwin received a special “Air Medal” for an engine fire on takeoff.  A fuel line failed and it sprayed fuel on the engine, which ignited during take-off.  The plane’s automated warning voice came through in a calming female voice “You have an engine fire”. Always clear-minded and in control, Edwin pulled an engine fire button, and after some very tense minutes, the fire glow faded and finally went out.  He was nominated for a distinguished flying cross, but it was downgraded to an air medal. 

It was at Carswell that Edwin was selected for a position he had dreamed of for some time -- crew commander for the B-58 Hustler, a plane he respected, the greatest deterrent from nuclear war.  This plane carried five hydrogen bombs – the smallest of these was 50 times larger than the bomb which was detonated on Hiroshima, and the largest of these bombs was 500 times larger than that same bomb.  It was also a supersonic airplane – hence Edwin’s license plate which later read:  I flew M2 (Mach 2).

In 1964 it was off to Little Rock, Arkansas where Elizabeth was born on July 11th, 1966.  Edwin also made Major during this eventful year.  While in Little Rock, Sally volunteered at the State Hospital, working with mentally challenged patients, making use of her psychology skills acquired during two years in high school.   After being at the hospital for some time, one of the hospital’s heads of psychology offered Sally the opportunity of a lifetime; the hospital desired to pay her way through college in addition to paying her a salary.  After her schooling was completed, she was to be offered a position worthy of her qualifications.  They just asked her to name her price.

Sally was very excited by this, as she’d always desired to go back to school, but each time that became a possibility, she got pregnant again.  When she presented the idea to Edwin, he quietly told her she already had a job…as mother to their children.  She knew he was right, and also knew that she was satisfied in that position.  It was her turn to make a decision that would forever benefit her family and children.  It was maybe not what she had dreamed of as a little girl, but no higher calling could have been given her than the role of mother.  Throughout their lives, Edwin and Sally both made decisions that would benefit their family; maybe not what would have fulfilled their dreams, but the sacrifices were made for the betterment of their children ~ this was their true legacy.

In the early 1970’s, the B-58 Hustler was decommissioned and Edwin checked out in the C-130 Hercules, in which he served as Aircraft commander until April of 1971 when he retired from his distinguished 21-year service in the United States Air Force.  This was the year the Dodds family of seven left a life of military service and embarked on a journey that would lead them into service for the King of Heaven.  They moved to Clarkston, Washington for a period of two years, where Edwin went to work as a stockbroker on the New York Stock Exchange, and Sally opened up “Ye Old North Pole” ceramic shop where she put her amazing artistic ability into good use; firing and hand painting many beautiful ceramic works of art. 

Between 1955 and 1971, when Edwin retired, Edwin and Sally lived in many places, met many different people, and had many exciting adventures.  Each of their six children was born in a different state, and Sally got quite proficient at moving.  Many people who have met Edwin and Sally Dodds have immediately been drawn into their circle of friendship.  Edwin and Sally both learned the art of making friends through moving into many different circles, on many different Air Force bases, in many different towns and states.

Sally Ann Dodds Jr. joined the crew on June 20th, 1971, a special “Father’s Day Gift” from God.  This newest member made the front page of the news (in her birthday suit) with her daddy… in tribute to the way Edwin was spending his Father’s Day that year.  Amazingly, after five previous children, Sally Ann was the first baby Edwin ever had the opportunity to change a diaper on, and he found he also enjoyed those late-night bottle feedings.  Sally Sr. just might have enjoyed Edwin’s newfound retirement more than Edwin did himself.

It was also during their stay in Eastern Washington that Sally owned and operated a small café / ice cream shop across from the Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Washington.  They were able to employ their older children while Sally and Elizabeth spent time with their newest adopted “Grandma Bette”.  Due to Sally’s down-home good cooking, the little café gained quite a reputation for putting on a great lunch, and Sally claimed this time period as the hardest she ever worked in her life! 

While at a political meeting, in August of 1973, Edwin and Sally had their first encounter with the Message of Rev. William Marrion Branham.  It goes to prove that God can use anything – even politics – to get a hold of His seed.  At this meeting, they met a man named Gordon Bottorff who spent many hours in a hotel room with Edwin and Sally, opening the scriptures and showing them things they had never seen before, although they had both been raised in the Salem Methodist Church. 

Sally described that night as a moth being drawn to a flame, and Edwin remembered it as a wave of revelation washing over him; telling him, for the first time in his life, that the Bible was really Truth.  Up to that time it had been difficult for Edwin to believe that everything recorded in the Bible could be historically accurate; the worldwide flood, the Red-Sea crossing, it can be almost beyond belief without the eye-salve of God.  But that night, everything changed, and it all came alive for them both.  The amazing part of this story is that Mr. Bottorff did not even follow the ministry of Bro. Branham, but did encourage Edwin and Sally to order the Seven Church Ages book and The Revelation of the Seven Seals book from Bro. Carpenter’s church in Phoenix, Arizona.

From that night, both Edwin and Sally quit drinking, and Sally quit smoking shortly afterwards because each time she’d light a cigarette, she could feel that the Lord was not pleased.  In her desire to please the Lord, she’d put the cigarette down, and in a few days, she finally put them away forever.  Edwin had quit smoking a few years earlier as he felt it would be a hindrance to his brokerage business. 

In December of that same year, the Dodds clan moved again, all eight of them, back closer to their roots, to a little town called Cabool, Missouri;  just an hour’s drive from Salem where both Edwin and Sally had grown up.  Edwin’s father’s trucking company, Dodds Truck Line, had opened a branch office in this little town and had asked Edwin to work for them once again.  Edwin was “on the road again”, which suited him fine as he was never meant to sit behind a desk for too long.  It was here that Edwin witnessed to Dalton and Teresa Harp who later followed them to Washington State to attend Cloverdale Bibleway.

It was in the middle of 1974 when Edwin and Sally first met Bro. Gay who was teaching at small meetings in Cabool that had been organized by Edwin.  This was during the same time period when the Dodds family was attending a Pentecostal church in Mt. Grove, called Calvary Temple, pastored by Darrell Friend.  Around this same time, Edwin heard the sermon, Anointed Ones At The End Time, by Bro. Branham, and the Truth opened up to him as he’d never seen It before.  Both the Dodds and the Gay families were then baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Early 1975, Bro. Earl Grigory introduced the Dodds family to a small church in Thayer, Missouri, pastored by Bro. Muriel Waldrop.  This was where they made their stand on the Message of the hour, embracing It in Its fullness.  Sally let her hair grow, as well as the length of her skirts.  They made Thayer their home church until they felt the Lord leading them on again, to another small church in another small town just up North a ways.  

When the Dodds family, with all its members, arrived at Cloverdale Bibleway in January of 1983, it was only a little log church with 75 members.  This became their home church, and the people became their new family.   Edwin was instrumental in organizing the first family camp at Kwamis in White Rock and assisted the church office in making many Seed Libraries for believers around the world.  Edwin and Sally also ministered in many other ways: reaching out to people through dinners around their table, “adopting” many young people who did not have parents in the Lord, and witnessing to countless people in their many journeys across the country in their big 18-wheeler which Edwin now owned and operated in his own business, Ed Dodds Trucking. 

Witnessing was their greatest love of all… more precious than all Earth’s treasures as a soul is worth 10,000 worlds.  Of all the rewards, blue ribbons, medals, and worldly acclaim these two very special people received in their very rich lives, all will pale in comparison when Christ places a crown upon their heads, saying “Well done, my good and faithful servants, enter thou into the joys of the Lord.”