Harriet Dodder

Harriet A. Dodder, 87, a resident of Los Alamos, passed away on August 27, 2017 at the Los Alamos Medical Center following a sudden illness, with her nephew, nieces and lifelong friends by her side. Harriet was predeceased by her parents, husband Donald, sister Eunice Juntunen, and nephew Randy Ovick, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Harriet was born in Pine City, MN on November 24, 1929 to Hans and Salma Grandt.  She attended country school and graduated from Pine City High School in 1947. She went to the University of Minnesota to obtain a teaching degree. She also met her future husband, Donald Dodder, who was getting a graduate degree in nuclear physics. They married in 1951 and moved to Los Alamos where he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Harriet began her 4th grade teaching career. She positively impacted her students with her skill and dedication for many decades. After her retirement, she volunteered in the classroom, assisting more students to improve their reading comprehension. Don and Harriet loved nature and the outdoors and enjoyed hiking and cross country skiing with friends. They loved to entertain, and the highlight was an annual fall get together for about 40 friends at their cabin in Brazos in Northern New Mexico. Following Don's death in 2009, she continued to maintain her household and independence, with her dog, Amber at her side, until her hospitalization in August. Harriet was an avid reader and was an active member of the AAUW book club. As a memorial, AAUW members will be collecting donations for the Los Alamos Schools Foundation to be distributed to their local elementary school librarians to purchase media for their libraries. Harriet enjoyed singing and was a long time member of the Los Alamos Choral Society. She also played bridge with friends every week. She spent many hours on her deck watching and feeding the many birds that loved her feeders. Harriet is survived by her nephew Robert (Nancy) Ovick, Rush City, MN, niece Sheila Roberts, Apple Valley, MN and niece-in-law Renee Ovick, Highlands Ranch, CO, 1 grand niece, 2 grand nephews, 2 great grand nephews and a host of friends. A Celebration of Life gathering will be held on Saturday,October 7, 2017 at Cottonwood on the Green in Los Alamos from 2-5 pm. The family of Harriet Dodder has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Española Valley. 505-747-7477

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