John Thomas Dobson, Jr.

John Thomas Dobson, Jr., 80, of 945 Macedonia Road, Edenton, NC, died Monday, January 26, 2015 in his home. Mr. Dobson was born in Chowan County on December 5, 1934, and was the son of the late John Thomas Dobson, Sr. and Grace Spencer Dobson Sawyer. A retired systems analyst with the Social Security Administration, he later taught Computer Applications at the Edenton-Chowan Campus of the College of The Albemarle. He served four years as an enlisted member of the United States Coast Guard, transferred to the Reserves where he was commissioned an officer, and retired as a Lieutenant Commander. As a child, he was baptized in the Episcopal Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Geoffrey Dobson, and by his mother's second husband, C. Delmas Sawyer. Surviving are his wife of nearly 59 years, Grace Hudson Dobson; a daughter, Ellen Dobson of Winterville; two sons, Richard Dobson of Ocean View, DE and John T. Dobson, III and wife Gail of Valley Lee, MD; three sisters, Jean McKinley of Norfolk, VA, Leigh Lubasz of Edenton, and Grace Schilling of Denver, NC; and three grandchildren, Marisa Dobson and Michael Dobson, both of Baltimore, MD and Laura Pratt and husband Allen of Athens, GA. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 31st, at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of Miller Funeral Home & Crematory, 735 Virginia Road, Edenton, by Pastor Bob Brock. Military honors will be accorded in the chapel. A private inurnment will be held at a later time on the family plot at Beaver Hill Cemetery. Friends may join the family in the funeral home immediately following the service, and all other times at the residence. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Tri-County Animal Shelter, 138 Icaria Road, Tyner, NC 27980. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.