Joshua Linwood Dodson
October 31, 1990 ~ October 8, 2008
Resided in:
Saluda, NC
Joshua "Josh" Linwood Dodson of Saluda, N.C. born October 31, 1990, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday October 7, 2008, at the age of seventeen.
He is the son of Linda Stroud of Saluda, N.C. and Harry Dodson and wife Samantha of Charleston, S.C. He is survived by a brother Ashley Nicholas Dodson and a sister Celeste Katherine Wourms. He was preceded in death by grandmother Betty Brown Stroud, stepfather Arthur Phillip Wourms III, and an Uncle Anthony Dodson. Josh is mourned by his family including great-grandmother Vermelle Gunnels, Grandparents Oliver Troy Stroud, Harry Dodson Sr. and Ann Gunnels Dodson, Bethal Wourms, Aunts and Uncles Brenda Haller (Glenn), Kelley Stroud Metcalf, Christopher Dodson (Lynne), Michael Dodson, Mary Wourms, Nanette Walters, Deborah Groves, Pamela Self; cousins Savannah Metcalf, Jacob and Olivia Haller, Alexander, Andrew and Victoria Dodson.
He is also mourned by many friends at Polk County High, Landrum High, Reynolds High and AB Tech.
Josh departed this earth too young. He lived his life fully engaged, enjoying philosophy, soccer and swimming. He loved the mountains and animals. He was excited about his enlistment into the Navy. He had an adventurous, thoughtful, caring soul. He will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 at 2pm at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Rd. with the receiving of friends following the service.
The family would appreciate monetary donations to help with expenses sent to 474 Piney Gate Rd. Saluda, N.C. 28773.
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Brenda and Josh’s family:
So sorry to hear of your tragic loss. Our hearts and prayers are with you all in this time of need. May God pour out His grace upon you, and keep you strong.
Linda,
I just saw you today and you told me of your sons passing. I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea that it had happened. Words cannot express how sorry I am. Please know that my heart breaks for you and I pray that God will hold you and your family in the palm of his hand through this difficult time.
‘Death leaves a heartache no one can heal;
Love leaves a memory no one can steal’
Love Kathy
AHS Class of ’82
Linda and Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
With Sorrow, Love and Friendship,
Heather, Schuyler and Family
Linda,
I am so sorry to hear of your sweet boy’s passing. Please know that you are in my thoughts — and the thoughts of so many others — in the difficult days ahead.
Love,
Lydia
AHS Class of 1982
Linda, My Prayers and thoughts are indeed with you and yours doing this trying time, just remember Gods love is endless and he will never leave you.
TONYA {JEFFRIES} CHILES
Josh was the most amazing guy and friend i have ever met in my entire life. He was so full of life, so fun to just share a room with. He could make almost anybody smile. He was always there for me in my times of need for that I am entirely grateful. My greatest sympathies are with his mother whom i know that he loved with all of his heart.
Love You Josh,
A friend who will remember you eternally.
linda – what a terrible thing. you are in my prayers.
Ashley and family,
The folks you work with and I share our condolences with you and your family. We were sorry to hear of your loss. Please take care.
Linda,
We are so sorry to hear the news about Joshua. We are keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.
Bruce & Maria (Britt) Reagan
Linda, my thoughts and prayers have been with you since I first learned of your sad situation. I only met your son once. He seemed to have such a good head on his shouders and a bright future. I have to go backout of town. However, I will call you soon.
Regina
I just wanted to say how very sorry I am for you and your family. I did not know Joshua, but my 19 year old brother died on August the 11th 2008. I know how you are hurting right now because I am hurting so badly also. I will think of you in the days to come and if you would like to talk, email me. I am so sorry for your loss.
Remembering you in our thoughts & prayers.
Linda, I wish I knew what to say to ease the pain of losing your beautiful son. I am sure he is making people happy in Heaven with that sweet smile on this Guestbook picture.
Love,
Jolene
AHS Class of 1982
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this terrible time. I don’t have any words that will make it all better. But do know that I am praying for a bit of peace to enter your world and for that peace to stay and grow more each day.
Love ya girl,
Brigitte
Josh was an amazing person. He made a huge impact on my life. I’ll always love him dearly, he will never be forgotten and always missed. Your family is in my thoughts, if there is anything I can do please feel free to ask.
Love,
Shelby
Linda, Thinking of you and your family. Praying for your heart to somehow find peace during this time of sorrow.
Dearest Linda and family,
I am so sorry to learn of your precious son’s passing. I am praying for you and your family. I know he must have been a wonderful young man just knowing how great a mom you surely were to him.
Love,
Susan Thurman Houchin
Dear Linda and Family,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.
Sheila Tweed
I was a fellow classmate of Josh’s, i had homeroom and English IV with him, he was very outgoing,very funny and just a great guy. Josh will definetly be missed.
Chris Montgomery
PCHS classmate
Linda,
I am so sorry to hear of this tragedy. I am praying for God’s peace and comfort for you and your family. May God strengthen all of you at this difficult time and in the days ahead.
Love and Prayers,
Connie Kuykendall
St. Luke’s Hospital
Linda and family of Josh: We offer our deepest sympathy to all but just remember that he is with our Lord now and we are the ones we should be grieving for being left behind.
I am so sorry for your loss. Although I only knew him for a short time, I will miss him. He was a great classmate
Dear Linda, Words cannot even begin to express how saddened I was to hear of Joshua’s passing. Please know that you are in my thoughts and my prayers, and that I love you. I am praying that God will grant you strength, peace, and comfort during this most difficult time.
Love forever,
Pam
‘Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.’ ~ Emily Dickinson
Josh was a happy, kind spirited young man that will be missed by everyone that ever met him. We don’t understand why these things happen and we struggle to accept it. For Josh’s family, May each day be filled with all your wonderful memories of Josh knowing you will meet again one day. You will be in my prayers.
Our family is so sad and so sorry for you loss. We were fortunate enough to meet Josh at LHS where he went to school with Chelsey. He was one of the sweetest people we have ever had in our home. We loved him and he touched the lifes of so many. God Bless you all.
Keith and Gina Payne and Chelsey and Mackenzie Grummel.
We are so sorry for the loss of your son.We regret that we never had the chance to meet all of you and welcome you as our neighbors on Piney Mt.I am sure he enjoyed our beautiful area.Dennis and Linda White,Piney Mtn
Linda,
Know that many are praying for you and your family with the hope that the Lord will give you strength to get through this tragedy.
‘Every blade in the field,
Every leaf in the forest,
Lays down its life in its season,
As beautifully as it was taken up.’
Henry David Thoreau
We were real sorry to hear of the passing of your son.Linda we were your neighbors on henrietta st.God be with you during this trial in your life. The Millers
We all wish we could help ease your sorrows during this difficult time, but know it will take time to heal. Joshua is a gift and will always remain a gift. Take comfort in knowing Josh is at peace in heaven & thank God for His almighty wonders.
Linda,
I feel myself being terribly inadequate in choosing the words to convey my deepest condolences.
I know that beyond being your son he was also your best friend.
My hope is that you find peace in knowing you raised one of the few “good people†left.
I cannot offer much in the form of support, but I can offer you the joy of knowing you had a wonderful, caring, energetic, and down to earth all around great son and true best friend.
Josh had a smile that could melt the iciest of hearts.
I pray for you strength, courage, understanding, and peace. My thoughts are with you.
Joyce Beddingfield
Senior Teller
State Employees’ Credit Union
Columbus NC
We are very sorry to hear of this tragedy. The first time Bryan brought Josh to our house I instantly took a liking to him. He was a great young man with alot going for him.
”If You Need Help, Ask God. If You Don’t, Thank God”…
‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever..’ Psalm 23:6
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you
find out that God is all you need. Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.
Linda,
I am so sorry to hear about your son. I’ll pray for you and your family to have strength during this difficult time.
Melanie
Just wanted to let everyone know you are in our thoughts and prayers. May God bless all of our family with peace that passes all understanding. Josh will be missed!
With love,
Rhonda
Even though I am not with you in body, my heart is with you and I am grieving as well for the lost of a special man. My prayers are with my NC family and I sincerely wish that I could be there for you in your time of need. Remember that mama has Josh with her in heaven and oh what an earful she is giving him!
Linda, I am sorry I can’t be there to support you and your family. I am praying for you all to have strength and peace. I know you women are strong and you will all pull together in love for each other and for Josh. May God be with you all,
I love you all!!!
Lisa
I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and other friends of Josh. He will be greatly missed.
Linda,
Once again, I just want you to know that I am praying for your heart daily.
Joshs presesnce will be greatly missed in our home. He was always such a kind and happy young man. Always pleasant and always polite. He was such a loyal friend to Cody.
He had a wonderful heart and everyone saw that. Please know my family is here for you in any way we can be.
Vince & Laura Bailey
Cody & Kiley Nicholas
Thinking of your family at this time….keeping you in our prayers..
Murleen McKinney Buchanan
(Cousin to Grandparent Oliver Troy Stroud)
Josh was a great classmate. i only knew him a little while but he will be greatly missed.
PCHS Classmate
I just want to say that your family will be in my prayers and thoughts in you time of need.Trust in God he will see you through this. Pamela Miller
BKA Skinny minnie
dear Linda and Family
My heart goes out to you and the family. May GOD forever BLESS THIS FAMILY.
YOUR CLASSMATE & FRIEND ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Linda, We are sorry to hear about Josh. Your family is in our prayers. We love you.
I’m so sorry to here of your loss. I only knew Josh for a short time through friends PCHS, and landrum high. Your family is in my heart and prayers. Josh will never be forgotten. He was an amazing person.
Linda, I am so sorry for your loss. I wish I could take your pain away.Please know that you and your family are always in my prayers.
The first time I met Josh, I knew he would always be someone to remember. There was never a dull moment, or an unhappy moment when Josh was around.. His laugh and his his smile will always be with me. Josh will forever be a part of our lives, he was one of the most memorable and honorable people I have ever met, and I hate that death took such a good one. You will be in my thoughts and prayers, and I know Josh will always be here.
Well i responded to this call and i think this one was the worse.This child has lived a short life and he will be missed. god bless the family and friends. my god watch over us and guide us threw the days.
Josh was a young man of many positive qualities about his life: the big smile, the loving heart, the gentle words, the outgoing personality, the love of God’s creation, the true friend, but most of all; leadership! Josh was a leader to his peers thru out his life, but even more so in his passing! Josh had given his life over to Jesus Christ to use him for His glory. Now, the question is ‘What about us?’ Thank you Josh for leading the way! We will join you again one day and oh what a day that will be! We love you Linda and family and will continue to be praying for you as we go thru this difficult time together.’Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.’ James 4:8
So sorry to hear about, Joshua,
Dear Linda,
We’ve only met briefly but my daughter Rachel was a friend of Josh. Rachel always told me that Josh was very sensitive and very, very loyal. This tradgedy is unfair and we can only wish for all the support of your family and loved ones to try to comfort you and for you to one day find comfort in that love. We will remember Josh and I know Rachel will always think of him and miss him.
The Grandis Family
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Linda,
I am so sorry to hear of your son’s passing. I know there are no words I can say to make this better. I do know you and your family have my prayers to somehow help you through this terrible time with peace. God bless-Love you
I am very sorry your loss and you are all in our prayers.
Scott, Michelle, Jordan & Chloe
Josh was one of the greatest friends I ever had. I will miss him a lot and never forget the times we had together.
Linda,
I was deeply saddened to hear of your loss.You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Glenda Richards
Rosenberg Bone & Joint
Linda, I don’t know if you remember me but I worked with you at Blue Ridge Center. Also, my daughter, Sara, knew Josh from Reynolds. I know there’s nothing I can say to make this tragedy any better, but I hope you have some comfort knowing how loved your son was.
Josh was an amazing man. He was always able to make me laugh and he was always there for me. He was creative, imaginative, sweet, and so important in my life. We made a list of things we were going to do before we graduate and it hurts so bad to think that he’s never going to get to do things. And there is so much that i will never get to tell him. But even though he’s gone from this Earth he lives on in our hearts and will never be forgotten. I miss him so much everyday and can only wait till that day when i get to see him again.
in loving memory of our josh.
RIP buddy. I miss you so much.
I met Josh at a missionary Christian camp last year in Hendersonville, NC; Screamin’ Eagle Outfitters. Me and six other teenagers with three adults drove 15 hours to the camp. When I met him, he was very sweet, and I genuinely liked him; we got along great. After camp ended, we exchanged numbers and kept in close contact. When I found out he had died; I was completely devastated. I love you, Josh. Rest in peace.
Joshua, not a second goes by that you are not on my mind. My broken heart still aches more than I ever thought possible. I am lost without you. It is very comforting to me when your friends still remind me of how much you meant to them. I so don’t want you to be forgotten and you won’t be by those that loved you so much.
I am so grateful for everyone for their thoughts, prayers and stories of Josh. Those stories continue to bring a smile to my face and bursts of laughter. Thank you just isn’t enough.
I will continue my struggle to find my path until one day I find my way back to you when we will all be together again. Thanks for taking Katie. Harley and I miss her very much. I hope she can run around with Tasha. I know she missed your belly rubs and sleeping with you. I love you always. Mum.
I met Josh years ago at Camp Henry. Josh, Aaron, and I made many amazing memories in just the one week that we all shared together. It’s more than a year after this tragedy and I still have it on my mind.
Linda,
I ran into you a rue 21, where I work, a while back. I wanted to hug you and tell you all about the stories we had.
You have my love,
Brennan
There are so many things I want to say. I’m sorry for everything that happened between us. But you were my friend. You were my first boyfriend. I miss you. I love you. I hope that some day I will see you again. I remember your laugh. I remember your face. Dude your name is going to be tattooed on my body soon. And I don’t care what anyone has to say. I’m sorry that people were trying to start drama at your funeral because of me. It was lame. I never wanted you to die. I love you so much and theres not a day that goes by and I don’t think of you. You were such a wonderful person and I’m so sad that they took you away from us. I miss you and I finally got to say what I’ve always wanted to say. I love you Josh. I miss you dearly and I can’t wait to see you again. <3
~Leah
I think about you all the time. Not a day goes by that your not missed. I got you initials tattooed on my wrist. I love you josh. I wish you were here with us. I wish I could see you. I still cry when I think about you. I still wish I could hear your laugh. See your smile. I will always love you. I will always miss you. I will never forget what a big part of my life you were. <3