Joy L. Hodges

Joy Louise Wilson was born December 23, 1922, in Asotin, Washington to Charles Arthur and Frances Florence (Patterson) Wilson. Joy was ninth in a family of twelve children and grew up in and around Anatone and Asotin. Money was scarce, times were tough but yet the experiences they all had were unforgettable, which are beyond what most of us understand.

Joy moved to Portland, Oregon at the beginning of WWII and entered welding school to become a welder at the shipyards. She had difficulty striking an arc and was about to give up after three weeks of trying but she was strong-willed, a bit stubborn and would not give up. One day she conquered that arc and went on to be a fine welder, building Liberty Ships for the war effort. The Henry Kaiser Swan Island shipyards held a competition between them and a shipyard in Brunswick, Georgia, held at Swan Island in September, 1944. A male and female were selected by each shipyard and Joy was chosen to be the “Swan Island Welderette”. The competition started with speed and skill tests for five welding positions. Joy won the best female welder title with the unusually high score of 325.82 points out of 350. Her scores were higher than the men so she won the competition. Joy met her future husband, Archie Hodges, a handsome foreman at the shipyards who was unable to compete…..we never knew who would have won if he had been allowed to!!

When the war ended, Joy happily became a homemaker. She created a wonderful home, bearing three daughters…Cheryl, Katie and Stacie…and a son, Larry. Sharon, as a teenager, was fostered into the family as her fourth daughter. Since then, her family grew to include 19 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, all tremendously loved.

Joy and Archie built many homes and apartment complexes in the Portland area, as well as several motels in the western states. Mom and Dad loved to travel any chance they could so were able to see most of the world when not wintering in Palm Springs in their beloved motor home. Mom had Jesus as her Savior, worked hard, loved life, learning, sewing and crossword puzzles.

She touched many people in her life, was

loved by many and will be greatly missed by all.

Thank you for coming and honoring our mom.

Joy passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Survived by brother Abe, children Sharon, Cheryl, Katie, Stacie, and Larry, 19 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Salvation Army or Union Gospel Mission. There will be a reception following the service at the monarch hotel 12566 Southeast 93rd Avenue Portland/Clackamas, OR 97015.