Mary Ann Dodd

Mary Ann Dodd was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Growing up as an Army brat, she resided on a number of Army bases including assignments in Japan and Germany and posts at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Meade, Maryland; and Fort Lee, Virginia where she attended Colonial Heights High School. She graduated from Virginia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing. It was there that she met and married Leighton Dodd (deceased in 2021) and became a stepmom to daughter Shelby and son Stacey.

While working at Virginia Baptist Hospital, she and Leighton added three boys to their growing family – Jarrett, Jason, and Addison. Following a distinguished career as a commercial banker, Leighton served on the Lynchburg City Council and was elected mayor from 1972-1976.

 As the mother of five and wife of a politician, Mary Ann curtailed her nursing career, and as the children grew, she enjoyed working part-time in retail. A new-found interest in needlepointing led to numerous classes and seminars and membership in the American Needlepoint Guild. Around this time, she was invited to stitch an ornament for Mrs. Barbara Bush’s Blue Room Christmas tree and was invited to the White House and met Mrs. Bush.

After Leighton retired, the Dodds lived on Hilton Head Island for twelve years before moving back to Lynchburg. While there, Mary Ann worked at Needlepoint Junction, taking classes, enjoying buying trips to California, and teaching a few classes at the shop. During that time, the shop was asked by Mrs. Hillary Clinton to design an ornament for their Blue Room tree. Needlepoint Junction staff and spouses were invited to tour the White House and see the tree. She was happy to tell her politician husband that her needlepoint got him an invitation to the White House!

In addition to needlepoint, Mary Ann collects antique schoolgirl samplers, stitches reproduction samplers and has created samplers for her children and grandchildren.

 Mary Ann is the proud grandmother of eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

 Mary Ann has been a member of the Lynchburg Junior Women’s Club. Her favorite volunteer endeavors have been starting the Etc. Shop and restoring the Aviary at Miller Park.

You may run into Mary Ann in the pool or in yoga class.