Mom leaves her MnM wrappers, 22 buckets of yarn, and priceless life lessons to her husband of 50 years, Jeffrey Hodge the eldest daughter, Stephanie Lynn Dawn Hodge; youngest son, Nickolas Joseph Hodge; and myself, the youngest daughter, Cherish Hodge. Mom also leaves her mark on the world via her hard-working, wonderful daughter-in-law, Erin O'kelley-Hodge inspiring niece, Crystal Booth, and 3 beautiful grandbabies, Ocean, Issac, and Abby. She went on to have many more "babies" in the form of dogs, cats, cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, rabbits, snakes, turtles, people, causes, crafts etc., all of which became the world her children grew up learning how to cherish and respect life.

An absolute LOVER of music and often seen be-boppin' to some good tunes, her greatest loves as a teen were the Beatles and Elvis. She shared her love of music with her family, giving each child a deep appreciation for the volume knob turned UP. If you've ever been stuck with me on long convoys or patient transports listening to Elvis, you have her to thank! Not ONE person came away without singing along - Seriously! Mom had a hell of a sense of humor that makes me laugh just writing about it now. Dry and, at times, wildly inappropriate. She both received and dished out humor like a pro. Still, beneath that stern, sometimes sailor-like mouth, Mom rolled out her Catholic values in between her holy love for chocolate and delight for crafts. Mom gardened and could oddly tell you the name of any plant. I love gardening now because of her. 

Mom was no stranger to pain, trauma, depression, or other incredible trials. Often, she was far too experienced with life on life's terms. However, her triumphs over these afflictions inspired those around her. These are the unending gifts she gave to her family and the world. 

A PROFOUND advocate for healthy expression, Mom NEVER stood in the way of her children's self-representation. Dying my whole head of hair around age 6 back in the early 80s (how scandalous) to her younger son's first mohawk (even more scandalous!!!) Mom gave us the freedom to try new things. Her rule: "no lying, no drugs, no alcohol, no trouble." All four kids kept that rule pretty damn well, and we benefited from a Mom who took us to our first concerts, drove us to our first tattoos, got us piercings, and many more healthy ways of living life to the fullest.

Mom was an East Coast native before going to the Midwest for high school with her mother and younger brother, David. There, she met the man she thought she would marry, but once more, my grandmother, mother, and Uncle David caught the adventure bug, taking them from Nebraska to California after mom's graduation. Once in California, Mom met, fell in love, and married my father. Growing up on the East Coast, including the DC area, Mom was built into politics. Both her parents worked for the government, and like many children her age, she witnessed the JFK assassination on TV during class. Later, she stood with her family for hours to watch our president's casket go by. Mom could describe those moments in sorrowful detail or joyful periods like driving through historic Manhattan tunnels with her sister Ramona on the back of her father's convertible. She happily recalled what it was like window gazing at extravagant displays during Christmas within the famous New York shops. She neither recoiled nor shied away from challenges around cultural changes, generational tensions, or unnecessary warfare, such as Vietnam, where she would lose her first love to permanent MIA status. Mom held tight the stamina and strength to encapsulate such as I later turned her hair white, entering the military at the height of the War On Terror.

  

After moving to Ravana, Nebraska for high school with her mother and younger brother, she gained both the experiential boredom and excellence of small-town midwestern living. In later years with a family, Mom and Dad moved back to Nebraska twice., the last in the early 80s when I was born. An unfortunate economic dip resulting in the loss of their home forced this growing family with a brand new baby back on the road to California. Once established, Mom remained in the same home until her last breath. Mom formed solid, lifelong bonds with special friends in Nebraska. The Midwest held Mom captive, giving her a type of language neither the East nor West Coast could. When describing my hair as a child, mom would walk to fresh corncobs in the grocery store, pointing to the silk, saying, "this is your hair… as beautiful as the silk on corncobs grown in Nebraska." Then she let me peel some off, put it in a baggy, and take it home. The silk, she knew intimately. To this day, I only know it through her beloved brown eyes.   

Mom always said her favorite time in life was living in our ranch-style home she and Dad formed in Sweetwater, Nebraska. Her memory captured peaceful moments when fallen snow sat perfectly all around our home during winter. "The moon reflected off the white like diamonds," she would share. With her unexpected but exciting fourth pregnancy (me) winding down, Mom stayed up all night crocheting her "Cherish Blanket" as our family slumbered away, warm and safe. She'd crochet until the "morning birds began to sing," and I finally began to sleep. Although she spent the remainder of her life here in Ventura, CA, she never forgot the years proceeding. 

This time, Mom labored all night but not to crochet… not because life rumbled within.. She labored long and hard, waiting for something inside her to find peace and finally sleep. Indeed, morning birds began singing for her once more ... And when they were finished, she awoke, finally at home where she had always belonged. 

Words cannot describe how deeply you are missed.

 I love you, Mommy.

 Cherish