Ralph Raymond Hodges, Jr was born on October 14, 1930 in Hutchinson, Kansas to Ralph Raymond Hodges, Sr and Nellie Herrick Hodges. He was the youngest of three boys. He worked summers on the family farm as a boy and attended scout meetings with his mother to help gather ideas and information that his father used to create the Caravan program that is used by the Church of the Nazarene. He played basketball in high school and also took up photography. He attended Bethany Peniel College in Bethany, Oklahoma. He married his wife of 70 years on September 30, 1950 before he was to be shipped overseas to serve in Korea with the Army Corps of Engineers. He earned his pilot license and found yet another love in flying. During his work with Champion Papers, he developed a trim program for papermills that would decrease the amount of waste in each roll cut. He started his own company, Management Decision Development Corporation, and went on to sell his program to papermills around the world. The money from his company didn’t go into just his pocket. There are many students who received free tuition because of his generosity and desire to support learning. He sold his company and retired at the age of 55. However, he did not retire from working for his Lord. He used the funds to help fund work and witness trips to many countries and also to build the chapel at MVNU. He also donated much of his time and expertise to the Higher Ground Campgrounds where you could find him working on plumbing, electrical, roofing, just about anything that needed to be done. He also helped to found the Fairfield Church of the Nazarene in the basement of a house on Tallawanda in Fairfield, Ohio. It started with just two families and steadily grew over the years, adding several buildings and the current building at the River Road campus. He was general contractor for each and every portion of the building process. He has left behind an amazing legacy in his work for the Lord and touched so very many people. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Don and Marion, his son, Tim, and daughter, Marcia. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Hodges, daughter, Sandra Richardson, grandchildren Corinne Richardson, Elizabeth Richardson, Stephen Hodges, Michael Hodges, Auna Ehritz, Aven Hodges, and great-grandchildren, Rileigh Richardson, Jocelyn Hodges and Corban Hodges.
In lieu of flowers which will wilt and die after looking pretty for a short time, we would love to have donations sent either to the Nazarene World Missions or the Ralph Hodges Memorial Scholarship at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. This money would then go on to help others in both missions and learning which were both his passions and would carry on his legacy of helping others. Visitation will be at the Fairfield Church of the Nazarene, 12190 East Miami River Rd., 45252 on Saturday February 13, 2021 from 11:00 AM until the time of the funeral service at 1:00 PM, with Pastor Dan McDowell, officiating. Burial to follow in Rose Hill Burial Park, Hamilton, Ohio. THE WEBSTER FUNERAL HOME, Fairfield is serving the family. www.websterfuneralhomes.com
