Andrew J.(Andy) Dobson

Andrew "Andy" Jackson Dobson, Jr. was born on May 8, 1930 in Alachua, Florida. He passed away peacefully on December 18, 2012 following an extended illness. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Betty Howell Dobson, his daughter Sherry Karnavas and son-in-law Gary Karnavas, his son Andy Dobson and daughter-in-law, Mary Dobson, granddaughters, Valerie Blubaugh, Kimberly Borgman, and Ashley Wyatt, grandson Chad Dobson and his wife Courtney Dobson, step grandchildren, Andrea Gentry and her husband Chris Gentry, Ben Karnavas and Joe Karnavas, and Lynyrd Pipes, great grandchildren Joseph Kuntz, Lance Dobson and Grant Dobson, his siblings, Katherine Ross, Evelyn Hodges, Rondal Dobson, Jacqueline Kight, and Charlotte Hodges. He is preceded in death by his parents Andrew Jackson Dobson, Sr. and Willie Mae Gainey Dobson, his sisters Shirley Dobson and Dot Braddock, and his beloved grandson, Kyle Dobson.

He was born in Florida and lived his whole life in the state. He had a humble beginning and difficult upbringing. As a child he suffered unspeakable abuse. At the age of 16, and being the oldest child, when his father was blinded, he was called upon to help to help take care of his mother and siblings. Working with his father, he took on the difficult job as a lumberjack.

Later he served proudly and honourably in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper, making 14 jumps behind enemy lines while being shot at! And there is no one more patriotic and proud to be an American than Andy. He always had an American flag flying outside his home and anytime he was wearing a suit, there was a flag pin perched on his lapel.

Although he had only a 9th grade education, he put himself through Barber School and went to Jones Business College. He was ferociously independent and self -reliant, not asking for help from anyone. He worked as a barber for 45 years and owned and operated one of the busiest barber shops in the state of Florida, even during the 1970's when it wasn't "hip" to have short hair. There was time the shop was so busy that customers had to "take a number". And he had to referee many parent-son arguments over hair length. In business, he was known as a man of honesty and integrity.

He worked many long, hard hours. Maybe that's why he got so good at his favourite pastime - napping! It was not uncommon for him to have a little snooze in his recliner before bedtime. It was a given, that Sunday afternoons would involve a nap and after his retirement, it became a daily occurrence.

In his younger years, he enjoyed fishing as a hobby. For years, he walked 45 minutes almost daily. After his retirement, he took up bike riding. He could be spotted 5-6 days a week cruising around the neighbourhood on his bike wearing his helmet. But he refused to take a cell phone with him in case of an emergency!

And the man LOVED bananas. You could say he was bananas for bananas. He ate at least one a day (probably more) for decades. There is no doubt that the banana growers will notice a marked decline in sales in Central Florida. He definitely did his part to support the industry! One of his favourite stories involves bananas. One day he went to Costco (he also loved Costco and was a charter member) with his wife and daughter. He had finished shopping long before they did. Of course he bought bananas. While he was waiting outside for the women to finish shopping, he saw someone he knew and starting chatting. When the fellow asked how long he had been waiting, Andy replied, " well, these bananas were green when I got out here". No telling how long he had been waiting to use that line!

Andy Dobson wasn't rich or famous. And to some, he may not be viewed as a success. But the words of Booker T. Washington best describe the life of Andy Dobson. "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome". Andy overcame much. And he became a good Christian man, faithful husband and father and successful business owner. When he was in his early twenties, he began a personal relationship with Christ and served the Lord faithfully until his death. He led his family to church and to the Lord. Because of his relationship with the Lord, he overcame his abusive past and broke that terrible cycle.

Although we mourn his passing and we will miss him, we celebrate his life and the Christian example he modelled. Above all we celebrate the knowledge that we will meet again.

So this isn't "goodbye", it's "see you later".