Danni C. Hodgson

Danni C. Hodgson of Cadillac went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday July 23rd after battling Non-Hodgkin\'s lymphoma for five years. He was born on November 11th, 1959 in Cadillac where he lived all of his life. There he attended Cadillac Public Schools along with Berean Bible Church. It was through a youth group where he met and married the love of his life Diana Lynn DeGrave in 1978. Danni began his career by following in his father\'s footsteps as a truck driver for J.D. Aten. During that time he realized his true passion which was diesel engine and truck repair. This dream was brought to life thru the start of his own business, Dan\'s Mobile Truck Repair in 1989. This allowed him to serve the local businesses, farms, and owner-operators in Cadillac and the surrounding areas where he quickly earned the nickname Diesel Dan. As the business continued to enjoy success thru his hard work, dedication and reputation he decided to make it more permanent so he established a large repair shop on M-55. After 25 hard earned years it was his cancer diagnosis that caused him to change gears. He sold the business and carried on as a Manager and Consultant during his many medical treatments. Thankfully this also allowed him to spend more time enjoying his past times and family. Danni\'s favorite place to spend time in his later years was in Sault Ste. Marie camping with his wife in their fifth wheel camper. There he and Diana loved to watch the Great Lakes freighters pass by on the St. Mary\'s river. While Dan enjoyed the slow pace of camping he also "felt a need for speedÃ¢â‚¬Â thru his many motorized toys. Whether it was a snowmobile, 4-wheeler or side-by-side you could always find him blazing a trail thru the woods. He even took the love for speed to the racetrack where he owned and wrenched on the green #78 race car at Merritt Speedway. Dan also spent many hours on his blue tractor working the property on his homestead. Despite all of this, his time spent with family at Hodgson Hidden Lake Park was where he really smiled. Throughout his life Dan was truly driven to be a good father, husband and friend. His guiding light has always been his faith which helped him to be the man he wanted to be and so much more. He will be missed by his wife Diana along with their four children, Heather Hodgson of Troy, Amber (Kraig) Youngs of McBain, Daniel Hodgson of Grand Rapids, and Jennifer (Craig Vennema) Hodgson of McBain; and their five grandchildren, Hayden and Skylar Youngs, Victoria Bernal, along with Miley Vennema and Barrett Vennema. Dan is also survived by his grandmother Marcella (Eley) Hodgson, mother-in-law Elaine Martin, three brothers Ron Hodgson, Terry Hodgson, Steven Hodgson and sister Sherri Bishop. He will be also be greatly missed by his many extended family members along with friends and business associates in the greater Cadillac area. Dan was preceded in death by his mother Helen Marie (Girven) Hodgson, his father Bruce Hodgson and grandfather Sydney Hodgson. In lieu of a traditional funeral his family will be having a celebration of his life event. This will be held on Sunday August 14th from 1pm-5pm at the Stahl Event Barn in Lucas, MI. Memorial contributions can be sent to St. Mary\'s Episcopal Church/Durable Medical Equipment 815 E. Lincoln St. Cadillac, MI 49601 or to Munson Manor Hospitality House at www.munsonhealthcare.org/munsonmanor. An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.

Danni C. Hodgson

November 11, 1959 - July 23, 2016