Robert Mapes Dodge Jr., silk screen artist

Robert Mapes Dodge Jr., 67, artist, designer, woodworker and audiophile, of Newark, passed away, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019. 

He was born in Wilmington, son of the late Robert Mapes Dodge and Marion “Totey” Ruckman Dodge.  Robert was a member of the last graduating class of Rehoboth High School (go Seahawks!), but graduated from Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine, in 1969, and attended the University of Delaware in Newark. 

He worked as a bicycle mechanic and as a silk screen artist and printer, was owner of the Eastern Rainbow Factory in Newark, and for other graphic design companies.  His silk screen work was used by local artists and in large displays by numerous corporations, including DuPont, and the Museum of Natural History in Philadelphia.  He was especially proud of his work for the museum’s dinosaur display.  

He was a lover of music, particularly enjoying guitar virtuosos, and had an extensive collection.

Those who were fortunate enough to be close to Robert, or even briefly meet him, had the pleasure of knowing a gentle, loving, generous, intelligent and entertaining man.  He loved cats, his wife, family and friends, not necessarily in that order.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a notable relative, his great-great-grandmother, Mary Mapes Dodge, who wrote “Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates,” and was the editor of St. Nicholas Magazine for Children, and many other accomplished ancestors from both sides of his family. He was also predeceased by his stepmother, Jane Chambers Dodge.

Robert is survived by his twin sister, Mary Sturges Dodge and husband Tom Evans; sister Susan Kern Dodge; half-brother Peter Mapes Dodge and wife Gina; half-sister Pamela Barclay Dodge, and Peter and Pam’s children.  Robert is also survived by his stepsiblings John, Jay and Wendy Webb, and Debbie Jones, and their families.

Also, he is survived by his wife, Newark artist Laura Spencer; their cats Sugar and Twinkle; and her brothers, Craig and Charlie, and their families in the Northwest.  Laura and Robert often visited her family ranch at Grangeville, Idaho.  They never missed the July 4th Border Days Western Celebration, with rodeos, parades, and the World’s Largest Super Egg Toss.

A graveside ceremony will be held at All Saints’ Cemetery, at St. George’s Chapel, Harbeson, at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please donate in his memory to a charity of your choice, and/or go listen to some good music!

For online condolences, please visit www.chandlerfuneralhome.com.