Joseph B. Dodd, 41

Joseph “Joe” B. Dodd, 41, passed away unexpectedly from sudden cardiac arrest Feb. 13, 2022, at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby. He was born on Feb. 28, 1980, in Seattle.

Joe moved to Libby as a young child and lived here ever since. He graduated from Anaconda Job Corps in 1998 with certificates in drywall and carpentry. His real love was mechanics though, and he had started building, customizing and fixing cars in his teens.

Joe met his soul mate, Mandy, in his early 20s. They grew together, making many lifelong friends and building new traditions along the way.

Those traditions included week-long camping trips, annual pumpkin carving contests (complete with ribbons and awards) and there was always at least one weekend each winter with a bonfire and sledding for the kids. They spent their early years camping with groups of friends, traveling to the Oregon coast and other destinations for vacations. Joe learned to scuba dive and snorkel for no other reason than to make Mandy happy.

As their love for each other deepened, they continued to grow together. They would marry and become the parents of two wonderful children. Wife Mandy, daughter Lilyanna and son Colter were his whole world.

Joe kept busy with projects and hobbies, but always put his family first. Joe always supported Mandy in her creative and innovative hobbies. It was a priority to support her many interests and foster her enthusiasm by “making it happen” — whatever she needed. He built, assembled, fabricated and muscled the heavy lifting for anything Mandy envisioned. He loved her, and he loved to make her visions come true.

He had that same dedication to his children, helping with swimming, rock hounding and art projects as well as nightly wrestling matches with Lily and keeping her on track with her math and spelling. His youngest, Colter, loved playing on the floor with dad. Tickle fights, monster truck ramp builds and Lego creations on the living room floor were nightly events.

He was a considerate husband, father and brother with amazing patience, dedication and loyalty.

Joe dabbled in tattooing for several years and shared the love of ink with Mandy. There are more than a few friends that can say they have some ink from Joe, some better than others.

An avid lover of “Scooby Doo,” loud music and even louder cars, Joe was constantly fixing up some car or ATV for his next adventure. He was a builder, fabricator and creator. He was a hard worker who loved his job and his fellow mechanics. His hands were rough from work, but they were always warm and gentle to the touch. His hands were strong enough to break loose any bolt, but gentle enough to care for his children and comfort his wife. Joe’s hands drew works of art and molded clay into things that anyone would be envious of. His creations often were gifted to his wife or kids to bring a little brightness to their day. He was the person that could mold clay into something beautiful and, in the same day, rebuild an engine.

Joe’s extended family included his and Mandy’s closest friends and their families. He would spend time caring and playing with the kids, teaching them mechanics, art and independence. He was an amazing uncle, not only to his own nieces, but as “Uncle Joe” to all their friends’ kids. He was the uncle that played just as hard as the kids, picking them up and throwing them in the air at the lake, dragging them on tubes behind the boat and showing them how to ride a four-wheeler. He also taught his niece skills, like how to completely gut a car interior, clean it and put it all back together.

Joe had an incredibly bright and caring soul. His laughter was contagious, as was his playful spirit, both at home and at work. He was an extremely loyal friend, always helping those in need. He was the one everyone called when cars failed to start or when heaters, stoves, snow blowers and lawnmowers stopped working. He could fix or build anything. His talents ranged from woodworking and carpentry to family chef to community mechanic. Whatever random project Mandy requested, from greenhouses, shelving or plant stands to sand boxes with benches that fold closed for the kids, he was always up for the task. He could build anything just by glancing at a picture.

One of his favorite designs was the motor block coffee table, but the list goes on. He was always the first one to load up the toys for a day out on the lake or in the hills, whether it was four-wheelers, snowmobiles or the boat. He stayed a kid at heart, loving new Lego sets just as much as he loved getting new tools, munitions and car parts.

He loved working on his Monte and participating in the burn out cruise during Ignite the Nites each year. He shared his love of mechanics, getting dirty and his innate creativity with his children, teaching them as much as just having fun with them. Camping, boating, swimming, fishing, family vacations, building new toys out of broken down machines and spare parts, and spending time with family and friends was how he preferred to spend his days. His family will find comfort in the memories made during those moments in the years to come.

Joe wasn’t a man of many words, but he was a man that spoke with purpose, compassion and wisdom. His laughter brightened the air around him.

He is survived by his wife, Mandy; his daughter, Lilyanna; his son, Colter; his sister, Angela; nieces, Destinee and Gwendylan; great-niece, Brooklyn; his maternal grandparents, Richard and Judith Fischer; several cousins and countless friends.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Audrey E. Dodd, in 2010.

A celebration of life for Joe — to include extended family, friends and neighbors — will be announced in the next week or two, once the arrangements have been made. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in his memory directly in the collection jars located at RMV Auto and Lincoln County Federal Credit Union.

Family friend Steve Voss is organizing an auction that will take place at 6 p.m., April 23 at the Libby Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1548. All proceeds going directly to Mandy and the kids. Donations for the auction can be arranged through Steve Voss at RMV Auto.