Joyce Marie Hodge

Joyce was the proud mother of, and is survived by, her four children – Cindy, Terry, Anita, and Linda – and one step-son, Will. She is also survived by her sister, Shirley, her 7 grandchildren – Julie, Ashley, Cody, Courtnie, Joshua, Jordan, and Heather – and her 7 great grandchildren – Tristan, Brayden, Aubrey, Avery, Matthew, Zachary, and Luke. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren.

Joyce was married to her husband, Bill Hodge, for over 30 years.

She retired from the United States Post Office, reaching the level of Postmaster, where she was often sought after for her advice and guidance from her team.

Joyce was a tireless gardener. No matter what she planted-the plants thrived. Unless, she had to battle wildlife, especially rabbits! Unfortunately, the rabbits bested her many, many times - even after she and Bill erected an anti-rabbit fence. Apparently, the rabbits did not get the message that the fence was indeed an “anti-rabbit” fence! She was also a pyromaniac – joking of course. But, a favorite story of the grandchildren is when she tried to start a small fire to clear out brush under a rosemary tree… and as you might have guessed the entire thing went up in flames!

Another love of Joyce’s was garage sale adventures. It was often that when visitors arrived at her home there was another treasure she discovered from one of her garage sale adventures.

She also thoroughly enjoyed dancing. She and Bill were regulars at the dance hall at their retirement community known as Hilltop Lakes, near Normangee, Texas. They were young at heart and spry, often showing the other retired folks how to “get low” on the dance floor.

Joyce was a very talented crochet artist. Many of her creations will remain with the family.

She loved being outside. It was not uncommon to arrive at her home to find her in her garden or sitting on the porch sipping wine.

Animals were always welcome in Joyce’s home. Cats were often visiting, either one that she owned or a neighbor’s kitty.

As those in attendance already know, Joyce had an infectious personality. She was intelligent and had a very, very captivating smile. When one thinks of Joyce, one cannot help but think of her bright and cheery smile.

As one of Joyce’s neighbors, Karen, shared: “she was the best neighbor we could have hoped for! We loved her and really miss her popping in on us. She would tell us she hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything important, but if she was, we were just going to have to deal with it! She was so much fun!”

Joyce spent the last years of her life at the Golden Creek Residential Care facility in Saginaw, Texas. Alongside her for the last moments of her life were Cindy, Anita and Linda. They did not leave her side until her last breath on earth and her first breath in Heaven.