Mrs Natalie Dodge

NATALIE BARKER DODGE JANUARY 25, 1923 - SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 "I was born at home in Morgan Park, IL, during a heavy Chicago winter snowstorm." - Natalie Dodge Natalie Barker Dodge passed away peacefully on September 21, 2019 after suffering a stroke. She was born on January 25, 1923. Her parents were Walter Reginald Barker and Margaret Gregson Barker, both childhood residents of the area, who had courted on horseback. Natalie married Robert Pope Dodge, son of longtime friends, on April 24, 1943. He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps and later became a B-24 pilot instructor. They had three sons, Gregson, David and Robert, Jr. Natalie and Bob lived in Chicago, IL, Santa Fe, NM, Murfreesboro, TN, Annapolis, MD, Vero Beach, FL, and Colorado Springs, CO. Natalie did volunteer work for the Infant Welfare Society and Epilepsy League in Chicago, and St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe. She supported the Santa Fe Historic Society, New Mexico Children's Foundation and was a long-time supporter of the Santa Fe Opera, where her father served as its second president. She was a Cub Scout den mother for each son. Together, she and Bob supported their sons' activities, including baseball, swimming, football, lacrosse, singing and piano. They shared many years boating on the waters of Lake Michigan, the Chesapeake Bay, the Bahamas, the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Waterway. Natalie's interests were many. She researched both families' histories, became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, played golf, skied, loved to needlepoint, obtained her pilot's license and conquered the computer. In her later years she became proficient with new technologies, like her iPhone, iPad and laptop (she would text every morning, "I am up .... again"). Natalie loved her jigsaw puzzles that were handmade by John Amos from prints created by family friend Gustave Baumann. After 65 years of marriage, Bob passed away in 2008. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, Consuelo Barker Eddy Sproul and Margaret Barker Bokum, and her brother, Gregson Leard Barker. Surviving are her sons: Gregson Sherwood Dodge and wife Barbara of Lancaster, SC; David Robert Dodge and wife Kerstin of Santa Fe, NM; and Robert Pope Dodge, Jr., and wife Lynn of Lafayette, CO. She is also survived by grandchildren Jefferson Barker Dodge, Ryan Harper Dodge, Molly Margaret DeKruif, Robert David Dodge, Gregson (Grady) Titus Dodge, Kaitlin Martyn Hathaway, Jennifer Krouse, Anika Gusterman Hosenfeld, and twelve great-grandchildren. Also surviving are Justus, Walter and John Eddy; William and Eric Barker and Marlo Barker Thompson; and the Margaret Bokum family (Conci, Fanny, Marty, Natalie and Rick). Natalie lived a very full and happy life, and she explained recently, "I love getting up ... every morning." A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on October 26, 2019, at The Church of the Holy Faith at 311 E. Palace Ave. in Santa Fe. Donations may be directed to the New Mexico Children's Foundation at P.O. Box 8182, Santa Fe, NM 87504

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