Margareta Williams was born in Santa Barbara, California to Sgt. William C. Dodd and Margaret (Fleming) Dodd on November 7, 1943. She passed away peacefully in Gresham, Oregon on March 30, 2025, at age 81.
Soon after Margareta’s birth, her father was deployed to the Pacific to fight in World War II. Her mother, who was staying in Santa Barbara to be close to him as long as possible, returned home with the children to Bonham, Texas. There they remained until his return from the war and then from another posting to the Philippines after the war.
Being the oldest girl, Margareta spent much of her childhood following after her brother and chasing after her younger sisters to keep them out of trouble. During her father’s military career, the family spent several years in Germany, North Carolina, and more years in Bonham while their father was stationed in Japan. They finally settled near Fort Hood, Texas where Margareta graduated from Killeen High School in 1962 and soon started her own family.
Margareta lived in several places while her husband served in the Army, but her favorite was the West Coast. She eventually moved back to Texas to be close to her parents and to raise her daughter Lisa — her pride and joy. In 2005 she retired from the Central Texas Council of Governments and returned to the West Coast to live in Sandy, Oregon, an area she had always loved.
She is preceded in death by her daughter Lisa Fenton, her parents, and her brother Bill Dodd. She is survived by her granddaughter Whitney Szejner and family of Virginia; two sisters, Dorothy Collett of Missouri and Sandra Blaydes of Texas; and numerous nephews and nieces. She will be greatly missed by her family and the many friends she has made here in Oregon.
Our special thanks to Joyce and the ladies at Royale Adult Foster Care who have cared for her and enhanced her life during her stay with them.