Gary Eugene Dodge, age 24, died the morning of Friday, March 7, 2025, at his family home in Great Falls, MT, following a valiant struggle with a difficult and lengthy illness. Though brief, his life had a significant impact for good on those around him; he was a blessing to all.
Cremation has taken place with burial following in Conrad, MT. When Montana is at its loveliest, a memorial to honor Gary will be held on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1401 9th Street Northwest, Great Falls, MT. All are invited to come share their memories of this beautiful boy who grew to be a beautiful man.
The third of six children, Gary was born on October 17, 2000, in Conrad, MT, to Jared and Joanie (McCracken) Dodge. Fun-loving, affectionate, adventurous, and mischievous, he brightened the lives of his parents and sisters Rosemary and Violet and proved to be a fine big brother to Daisy, Andrew, and Calvin, his sister and two brothers who followed him.
He grew up in Conrad and attended school there through most of first grade before moving to Great Falls at the age of 7. Schooling continued through 6th grade at Fort Shaw Elementary in Fort Shaw, MT, followed by three years of homeschooling and then attending and graduating from CMR High School in Great Falls in 2019. Because the high school did not recognize the work that he had accomplished at home during his 9th grade year as valid, Gary doggedly persevered and earned four years’ worth of high school credits in only three. During his senior year, he also began working at Albertsons grocery store and kept up both his studies and his work schedule.
Following graduation, he spent three months in Naknek, AK, working on commercial fishing boats. The work was dangerous, but he stuck it out and further honed his work ethic and skills. While there, Gary learned from an Inuit family to make fantastic smoked salmon that never failed to wow tasters back home. After returning to Great Falls, he resumed working at Albertsons in various positions and was made a manager at only 19. He continued there until December 2020 when he received and accepted a call to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Paraguay Asunción North Mission.
His time as a missionary was not without challenges or difficulties (Cartels and big spiders and flooding! Oh, my!), but Elder Dodge found joy in serving his Savior Jesus Christ through teaching and serving the people of Paraguay. Although Spanish was the initial language he learned, the Lord blessed and enhanced Gary’s innate linguistic abilities to learn and gain fluency in Guaraní and Portuguese as well. Gary worked hard, but he was always ready for fun and wasn’t afraid to retrieve an errant soccer ball that landed beneath anaconda-infested trees! He also put his love of cooking and baking to good use and frequently gifted brownies and loaves of bread to fellow missionaries and to the people he was teaching. He loved the Paraguayan people and delighted in teaching them the gospel of Jesus Christ and helping them come closer to God. One missionary companion wrote after Gary’s passing, “Never did I meet a man who was so selfless and caring for others while I was on my mission. Though he didn’t know it at the time, Gary inspired me to be a better and more capable man. He completely forgot himself and went to work despite the great difficulty it is to learn the language and understand a new culture so entirely different from our own. Gary was a man’s man, a man of God. He will be sorely missed. I loved him like a brother.”
Post-mission, Gary worked various jobs before attending BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, occasionally returning home for his health and once again working at good ol’ Albertsons between his times at school. He particularly enjoyed his time in the store’s floral department, refining the skills he built during his long history of bringing his mother beautiful bouquets that he created from almost any pretty growing thing.
Gary often expressed that he knew that his Heavenly Father had sent him to be born in Montana for a reason. An outdoorsy kind of guy from his earliest years, Gary loved all things nature and felt particularly close to God when he was alone in the mountains. He filled his phone with beautiful photos of all the lovely things that caught his eye. Camping, hiking, snowshoeing, and canoeing were favorite “excellent adventures,” and he could start a campfire in record time. He was equally proficient with both a firearm and a bow, hitting his mark with uncanny accuracy – moving or still – whether it was bird, beast, or bullseye target. Needed a knot tied? You just asked Gary.
His knot-tying talent was put to even greater use when he developed an interest in fly fishing at age 12 and taught himself to tie his own flies. Fishing in general was a latent ability that Gary strove to develop and refine, and he excelled. Teaching others his age (and older!) to fish was a source of both enjoyment and satisfaction for him. He could read a story in a river as easily as from a page in a book and relished his time out in God’s creation; innumerable hours were spent with friends and family doing what he loved.
A multifaceted person, Gary’s interests were many and varied. He endeavored to be well-rounded in a number of skills, from water-color to welding. In or out of school, he loved to learn, and he read widely. Reading history, especially his own family history, fascinated him. All types of music appealed to him but particularly sea chanteys and Scottish and Irish folk songs. Gary’s deep, pleasingly resonant voice was enjoyable to listen to when he sang; to listen to him read aloud was a pleasure. Witty and imaginative, storytelling came naturally. He wrote in the same lyrical, picturesque style that characterized his everyday speech, and he was adept at writing both poetry and prose. He loved to draw; his custom gift tags and Christmas cards are treasures. And he was so funny! Perhaps his greatest talent, however, was teaching. Gary was a gifted teacher, an instructor who combined leadership with patience and humor and who loved people of all ages. One of his greatest joys and a highlight of his life was teaching a children’s class at church that included his brother Calvin. He loved his kids, and they loved him.
Gary Dodge leaves behind countless family and friends who have benefitted from his love and influence. He knew what it was to struggle with mental and physical difficulties himself, and was often the recipient of others’ acts of kindness. He was so grateful, and he did his level best to follow Jesus’s example of noticing the needs of others, big or small. Sometimes he would simply give a warm smile, a word of encouragement, or a hug. Sometimes he would shovel a walk or organize a group clean-up project. Sometimes he would buy food or a hotel room for someone hungry or cold. Sometimes he would sit up all night with someone who was struggling with addiction and in need of a friend close by. The best way to honor Gary’s memory is to strive to do the same. Be like the Savior. Be like Gary.
Gary is survived by his parents, Jared and Joanie; sisters, Rosemary, Violet, and Daisy; brothers, Andrew and Calvin; paternal grandmother, Harriet Dodge ; maternal grandmother, Nadeen McCracken; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Billy Joe Dodge, and maternal grandfather, Bruce McCracken; aunts, Donna (Dodge) Thomas and Sandra “Sandy” McCracken; and uncle, Jonathan Dodge.
His family wishes to express their profound gratitude for the outpouring of tender compassion offered by so many wonderful people, both to Gary during his lifetime and to his family after his passing. Thank you so much for all your loving care.
Author: Staff
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