Natalie U. Dodd

Natalie Umbarger Dodd was born in Knox County, Tennessee on March 15, 1929. Natalie was the oldest child of Robert and Marcella Green Umbarger and sister to Richard, who was born in 1931. Natalie’s childhood years were spent growing up on the Umbarger family farm near Knoxville, sharing farm life with her grandparents. Natalie shared many stories from these years including learning to say the alphabet backwards; evening “piggy back” rides from the fields on her grandfather’s back; wearing clothing made from flour sacks; being instructed to chew her food thoroughly at meals and her mother making cottage cheese every day for the family’s meals. It was on the farm where Natalie developed a life-long love of eating butter, lots and lots of butter, on everything! As a teenager, Natalie and her family moved frequently, as her father’s job as an electrician during WW II, took the family across the United States. Natalie recalled the challenge of school life and academics during these years, especially during her freshman year when she attended three separate schools in California during the same academic year. Natalie recalled that “reading, writing, ‘arithmetic and geography” came easily to her despite her frequent changes in schools. However, the “real problem” was in trying to learn Spanish. Natalie said, “I learned to just listen for my name!” The family returned to Knoxville in the mid-1940s where Natalie completed her senior year and graduated high school. Natalie married Robert Kauble in 1947 in Kokomo, Indiana where they welcomed the arrival of their children LeeAnn, Timothy and Michael. Natalie and family lived in both Texas and New Mexico prior to moving to Camdenton, Missouri in December, 1959, where Natalie resided for 57 years. Once established in Camdenton, Natalie worked for Jack’s Sporting Goods, Dickerson Supply Company and Jadico Limited for 31 years with a variety of responsibilities including bookkeeping and accounting, purchasing and buying. In her capacity as an international buyer, Natalie made regular trips to Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, making life-long friends with whom she kept in regular contact. Natalie loved to regale her family with tales of the exotic foods she ate while on these trips; snail, eel and octopus, to name a few! Natalie later married Robert “Bob” Dodd in Camdenton and continued to embrace life in “The Hub”, serving on the Camdenton City Council for several years. Following retirement from Jadico, Natalie worked for a number of years for Work Connections in Camden County, where she enjoyed the energy and youth of the summer work force. Natalie moved to an assisted living apartment in Tulsa, Oklahoma in January 2016, where she enjoyed socializing with friends, playing BINGO and frequent visits, phone calls and outings with family and friends. Natalie’s interests included work, her family and travelling. She enjoyed the experience of learning about the places she travelled and collected many souvenirs along the way, especially books of matches! Natalie was a long-time, faithful member of New Life Nazarene Church in Camdenton, Missouri. Even when it was no longer possible for her to attend worship, she enjoyed “keeping up” with her faith life through visits and phone calls from friends as well as the weekly bulletin. Natalie passed away on June 11, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 88 years young. She is survived by her daughter, LeeAnn Taylor of Tulsa, Oklahoma; two sons, Tim Kauble of Camdenton, Missouri and Mike Kauble of Tulsa; four grandchildren, one great-grandchild and two great-great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Marcella Green Umbarger and her brother, Richard Scott. A memorial service for Natalie will be held on Saturday, June 24th at 1:30 pm at New Life Nazarene Church in Camdenton, Missouri, with Pastor Grant Foster officiating. Visitation will precede the service at 12:30 pm with a reception for friends and family following the service. Visitation and the reception will be held at New Life. Funeral arrangements are managed by Allee Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Camdenton, Missouri. A memorial for Natalie has been established with Camdenton R-3 Education Foundation, PO Box 1409, Camdenton, Missouri 65020. The family requests donations in Natalie’s memory in lieu of flowers.