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Nancy Hodge, Herky's wife, called Donald Anselm on 11 March 2004 to let him
know that Herky had died at about 4:00am from a tumor on the brain. Herky had under gone radiation treatment for lung and brain
tumors for the last couple months, but the tumors were too far advanced for the treatment to be effective. The cancer had spread
throughout his body before he realized it. Don talked with Herky's sister
who said that he was very sick and now he was in a better place.
On March 17th at Herky Hodge's visitation and funeral were the family, close friends, a contingent from the
local VFW Post and a contingent from the Class of 1961, Connie and Jerry Zingsheim of Fountain Hills, AZ, Don Anselm of
Huntsville, AL and Bruce Dalgleish of Prescott, AZ. Dick Skaggs of Flagstaff, AZ was at the burial service on March 18th at a
family plot in Williams, AZ, near Flagstaff. Herky was buried in worn set of combat fatigues, probably from his service in
Vietnam, and a red baseball cap with the Airborne and Ranger tabs on it. The family greatly appreciated the presence of the
Class of 1961.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Herky's widow, Nancy, can be reached at:
Mrs. Nancy Hodge
PO Box 2227
Arizona City, AZ 85223
520 -494-8212
Herky's sister, Judy, can be reached at:
Mrs. Judy Lundin
602- 674- 0162
Obituary:
ARIZONA CITY - Walter
William Hodge Jr., 65, of Arizona City died March 10, 2004 at Casa Grande
Regional Medical Center.
Visitation will be from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at J. Warren Funeral Services,
The Gardens, 1451 E. Florence Blvd. in Casa Grande. The funeral there will
follow at 5, with Deacon Tino Tarango and the Rev. Kevin Clinch officiating.
Burial will be on family property at Williams.
Mr. Hodge was born April 15, 1938 in St. Louis and was a son of Willie and
Walter Hodge. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.,
in 1961 and served in the Army in Thailand and Vietnam. In 1963 he took one of
the first groups of combat troops to Vietnam and returned with no casualties. He
received the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Vietnamese Expeditionary
Medal for his service in the war.
After leaving the Army he became a teacher. He taught GED classes at Phoenix
College and was a veterans counselor from 1974-78. In 1979 he founded Career
Exploration Academy. That same year he went to work for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs in Kayenta and counseled Navajo students until 1991. While working at
Shonto Boarding School, he was president of the teachers union. He also was
superintendent of Paloma School District and taught at Coconino Community
College in Page. He later was a counselor at Desert Shadows Middle School in
Nogales until 1997. He wrote a book that he was trying to get published, "What
Do You Want to Be, Now That You Are Grown Up?"
Survivors include his wife, Nancy; a son, William Dane Hodge of Arizona City;
and a sister, Judith Lundin of Phoenix.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society.
©Casa Grande Valley Newspaper 2004, March 15, 2004
Walter William Hodge Jr. 65, of Arizona City Arizona, was born 15 April
1938 in St. Louis, MO. He graduated from West Point, N.Y. in 1961 and served in
the Army in Thailand and Vietnam. In Vietnam, he was awarded the Air medal with
an oak leaf cluster and the Vietnamese Expeditionary medal. In 1963, he took one
of the first groups of actual combat troops to Vietnam and returned with no
casualties. After serving his time in the Army, he became an educator. He taught
the G.E.D at Phoenix College in AZ. and was a Veterans Counselor from 1974-1978.
In 1979, he founded the Career Exploration Academy. The same year he also joined
the B.I.A. in Kayenta. AZ and counseled Navajo students until 1991. While
employed at Shonto Boarding School (BIA), he was Teacher Union President of the
National Federation of Federal Employees. He also was Superintendent of Paloma
School District. He taught Career Exploration, Stress Management, Building
Self-Esteem, Motivation Skills, College Study Skills and Intermediate Algebra at
the Coconino Community College in Page, AZ. Finally, he was a counselor at the
Desert Shadows Middle school in Nogales, AZ until 1997. Then, he wrote a book
entitled, "What Do You Want To Be, Now That You Are Grown Up" which he was
trying to get published. Walter is survived by his wife, Nancy and son William
Dane, sister-Judith Lundin, Phx Az. Visitation The Gardens on Wednesday, 1451 E.
Florence Blvd, March 17, 2004, 4-5pm. Deacon Tino Tarango/Father Keven Clinch.
Contributions to American Cancer Society.
Published in the Arizona Republic from 3/16/2004 - 3/17/2004.
Memorial:
At noon on July 9,
2005 seven classmates of Herky Hodge, along with four wives and a grandson, joined Nancy Hodge and her son Dane in a graveside
dedication of headstones at Herky’s burial site on family property near Williams, Arizona. It was a lovely, clear, cool Arizona
afternoon. Those present included Gary Lord, Jerry and Connie Zingsheim, Paul DeVries, Gus and Charlotte Stiehl, Jim Lynch and
grandson, James, Bruce Dalgleish, Gabe and Susie Gabriel, and Mike Brady and Colleen.
The dedication of the headstones was conducted by Ralph Scott, who along with his wife has been providing
grief counseling for Nancy and Dane.
Following the dedication we all convoyed to the Williams United Methodist Church for lunch and a Memorial
Service led by Pastor George Watson. Prior to the service and during lunch we had an opportunity to view pictures and documents
of Herky’s life. For each of us it brought back memories of prep school, the Academy, Fort Benning and IOBC, Jump School and
Ranger School, the first assignment and of course, Vietnam. There was a lot of, “Did you go to Airborne first or Ranger?”,
Weren’t you in … when I was at … ?”, etc. The ceremony included a review of Herky’s life, candle lighting where each classmate
lit a candle and said a few words about Herky. There was a short video tribute to Herky that had pictures from childhood to
senior citizen. We all had a chance to again have some of those, “Do you remember when .. ?” For Nancy it was seeing a part of
Herky she had missed. She like, Susie Gabriel, thinks of all that time at West Point and in the Army as BS (Before Susie). It is
hard for the wives who came into our lives after that was over to be able to relate to the relationships that we have, the
difficulties we overcame together and the joys of conquering Ranger School, the shared triumph and sorrows. Nancy deeply
appreciated her brief time with us and the opportunity to see Herky through our eyes, from our words and to feel our caring for
her.
As any of you who have ever run or given blood know, you can collect a lot of T-shirts over your life. Nancy
swore that Herky never threw one away, but as a token of her love for us and as a remembrance of Herky, she gave each of us one
of his T-shirts.
The playing of “If you could see me now” and a prayer ended the ceremony, but not the camaraderie.
For pictures taken at
the Memorial, please click here.
Remembrances:
Herky, as you look down on your classmates as they remember all the good things you did, you know you fought the good fight.
Say hello to our classmates in Heaven.
Dave Teal
As you seemingly disappear from our view and we say, "He's gone",there are other voices shouting with joy, "Here he comes",
including the voices of his fellow classmates who have gone before him.
Priscilla and Tarey Schell
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Walter "Herky" W. Hodge, Jr.
4-15-1938 to 3-10-2004
One Year Ago
God saw you getting tired,
and a cure was not to be.
So he put his arms around you,
and whispered, “Come to Me”.
With tearful eyes we watched you,
we watched you fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hard working hands now rest.
God broke our hearts
to prove to us
He only takes the best.
Always in our thoughts,
Forever in our hearts.
God bless you and
keep you until we meet.
We love you and miss you.
Your loving wife, Nancy & son, Dane
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In
Loving Memory Walter (Herky) Hodge Jr.
Dedication of
Headstone-Salutation
July 9th,
2005
12:00
Family Property in Williams,
AZ
Formation Time (following Dedication)
13:00 to
17:00
‘Time of Remembrance’ Open
House
Community United Methodist Church Williams, AZ
Service will include: Memorial of
Herky; Remembrance of other classmates;
Luncheon and
Fellowship
Invitation extended to:
classmates/spouses/friends/family
Casual Dress
Please e-mail
memorials to
Remember1961@sbcglobal.net if
unable to attend
Sites to visit in the area:
Grand
Canyon, Lowell
Observatory, Meteor Crater
R.S.V.P. Nancy Hodge by
June 24,
2005
Phone: 520-494-8212 E-mail: nlhtoltec@hotmail.com
Directions to the graveside will be
provided
Nancy Hodge
I regret not being able to attend the ceremony. Herky and I had many
good times growing up together in Tucson. I still have photos of our get-togethers over Christmas vacations—when we both should
have been studying. I especially remember a party at the Flamingo, downtown, following high school graduation wherein everyone
was basically busted for beer. Happily, we both survived and graduated our respective schools, Herky The Point, me USNA.
Following graduation there were little opportunities to get back with school-era pals…the career, the Vietnam experience,
families, life in general…. I think Herk and I met once (!) after graduation. Our mutual bandit-in-arms, Mac Greely, and I had
more interface. Nevertheless, it’s a thing about guys: you never have to spend “quality time” over the years with a man to know
he’s a quality guy, as Herky was!
George Worthington
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