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Michael Wayne Dotson, of West Linn, Oregon, passed away suddenly on Thursday, September 21, 2023, of a massive heart attack at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center in Tualatin, Oregon. He was 62 years, 5 months and 21 days old.
Mike was a 1979 graduate of Stilwell High School. He also attended the University of Arkansas, Northeastern State University and the University of Oklahoma.
He is survived by his wife and partner of over 20 years, April Skelly Dotson, of West Linn and his daughter, Olivia, a senior at West Linn High School. He is also survived by his parents, Hershal and Penny (Porter) Dotson of Stilwell and his sister, Michelle (Dotson) Merriott and brother in-law Jess Merriott also of Stilwill.
He was preceded in death by his parental grandparents, Evelyn and Lloyd Dotson of Berryville, Arkansas, and his maternal grandparents, Nedra Porter of Berryville and Myron Porter of Miami, Florida. He is also survived by numerous nephews, cousins and friends who mourn his passing.
Mike enjoyed rock climbing and taught classes at Colorado Mountain College in Vail, Colorado. But his passion was river sports and the sea, plus he became an accomplished artist utilizing a variety of styles. He worked for 15 years as a factory technician on factory fishing boats operating in the Bering Sea, and while at sea he met his future wife and partner, April Skelly, who was a cook on the fishing vessel “Katie Ann”. After the birth of his daughter, he retired from fishing and he and April owned a coffee shop in Mullan, Idaho for several years. For the past four years he and his family have been living in West Linn, as he and April have always loved the Pacific Northwest and Olivia has access to educational programs not available in other areas.
Mike was an organ donor, and in the coming years, April will spread his ashes in the various locations that he loved and a memorial stone will be placed in the family plot in Berryville, Arkansas. A celebration of his life with family and friends will be held in late December at the home of his parents in Stilwell. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Stilwell Food Pantry (Adair County Resource Center, 110 South 2nd, Suite 2, Stilwell, OK 74960), or St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis (https:/stjude. org).
