Harold Russell Hodgson

May 1, 1915 - June 9, 2014

Harold Russell Hodgson of Cadillac passed away Monday, June 9, 2014 at the Curry House Assisted Living in Cadillac. He was 99. He was born in Cadillac on May 1, 1915 to Elwood N. & Edna M. (Thomas) Hodgson. Harold graduated from Hollister Elementary school in 1927 and from Cadillac High School in 1931. He went on to receive degrees from Taylor University (Fort Wayne Campus) in 1935, Alma College in 1941, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1944 and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC also in 1944. In 1946 he was ordained Elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church and had served pastorates in Empire, Lake Ann and Beaverton, MI; Munhall, PA; Takoma, Westminster, and Baltimore, MD; Gales Ferry, CT; Providence, RI and Bridgewater, MA. From 1962 to 1964 he served the United Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief – relocating Cuban refugees in homes across the United States. After retiring in 1977 he went to Bedford, England where he served as Associate Pastor in Bunyan Meeting for one year. Upon returning to the United States he served as interim pastor at Haven United Methodist Church in East Providence, RI. In 1938 Harold married the former Betty Scott of Washington, PA and they are the parents of two sons, Harold Elwood and Mark Oliver. In 1968 he married the former Rosa Capella from Havana, Cuba. While living in Hanover, PA, near his farm in Maryland, Harold wrote an op-ed column for the Hanover Evening Sun for several years. He is also the author of several books: The Evolution of Jesus from Human to God, Marwood in Maryland; three books of poetry: Sense and Nonsense, Seven Sonnets on the Lord's Prayer, and Seven sonnets on the Twenty-third Psalm, plus many unpublished. In 2000 he returned to his home-town of Cadillac, where he continued to write letters and articles opposing the violence of war. While in Cadillac after retiring he attended the First Congregational United Church of Christ. Survivors include his sons: Mark O. (Judith Nierenberg) Hodgson of Medford, MA and Harold E. Hodgson of Kumamoto, Japan; 2 grandchildren: Jessica Nierenberg (Todd Johnson) and Marja Hodgson. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by 2 sisters and 4 brothers. A Memorial Service will take place later this summer. His final resting place will be Maple Hill Cemetery in Cadillac. An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.