Patricia “Patsy” Hodge (4/24/1938)

Patricia Hodge, 84, died peacefully in Hospice on April 3, 2023 in her home state of Massachusetts. Pat was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the oldest daughter of the late William Hodge and Marian Captain Osborn. Pat was raised in New Jersey, graduating Paterson High class of 1956 with dreams of singing and dancing on Broadway. Instead, she became the first member of her family to attend College, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Simmons College, paving the way for her younger sister Sheila to graduate from Simmons in her wake. Their younger brother Jim was a veterinary technician who served as a Medic in Vietnam and was awarded a purple heart.

As a working single mother, Pat refined her testing skills at BU Counseling Services while completing a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Pat spent the majority of her career working as a school Psychologist, first in Massachusetts then New Hampshire, at times commuting from her home in Cape Cod. Pat derived great satisfaction in solving the puzzle of each of her students’ needs and devising their treatment plan; Pat was proud of being an outspoken advocate in her school systems.

Pat relished multicultural eating and her daughters fondly remember Saturday morning trips to the Syrian Bakery to watch the pitas inflate and fall as they baked, sampling grape leaves and lahmejun. Pat and her friends were original fans of Joyce Chen and Moo Shu pork was a frequent dinner treat, her Wok becoming a favorite cooking tool.

Pat loved music and the arts, inspiring both daughters to study Music and Dance in College. Pat’s infectious appreciation of different cultures inspired a passion for international travel and home exchanges, traveling with friends and family to Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and much of the United States.

Pat will also be remembered as someone who loved reading, her morning coffee, paper and crossword puzzle and the dispensing of commentary and (often apt) advice to her two daughters (and their friends!). Pat was a champion of the less advantaged and enjoyed spending long hours chatting about the state of life and the world we shared. Even in the waning years of her life, Pat reveled in voicing her hatred of Trump, regardless of the politics of her audience.

Pat is survived by her two daughters: Jennifer Staton of North Andover, MA, and Laura Staton of Brooklyn, NY;  her three grandchildren: Dylan Parker, Miles Parker, and Sofia Fragala; her sister and brother in law Sheila and Clark Willmott of Marblehead, MA, and her sister-in-law Lorraine Hodge of New Hampshire. Pat was the big sister of the late James “Jim” Hodge and loved him dearly. After moving to Massachusetts, Pat mainly resided in Brookline with a brief stint in Martha’s Vineyard (before it was trendy!) and relocation to the Cape after her girls were launched. Pat left the Cape for Andover once her granddaughter was born.

Pat is already missed by family and friends who appreciate her unusual blend of courage, passion, curiosity and instinct; her strength in managing single working motherhood and savvy in raising her daughters well, and her understandable adaptations to life’s disappointments. Rest well, Pat, you are loved!!