My fondest memory of Mom is when I came back home for Cayden’s baby shower. We were in the family room watching one of her favorite shows, it was either the price is right or wheel of fortune. We were just hanging out and talking crap like we would always do when we got together and out of nowhere she goes , “I can’t believe my baby is having a baby.” My instant response was, “Well I can’t believe I am having a freaking baby either.” We both just laughed and continued talking. That was a crucial point in my pregnancy because I only felt fear up to that point but knowing how excited Mom was for both me and the fact that she was getting another grandchild made me really happy that I was giving her something she always wanted from me, even if it was super unexpected and completely unplanned. That weekend was the greatest weekend of my life and I am so glad Mom got to see me become a Mother and I can only hope to be as good of a mother as she was.

This memory (3 of 5) is dedicated to the special relationship that my mother shared with my daughter, Aria. 

When I found out I had a baby on the way, my mom was the first person I called because for years she had been begging to have a baby so she could have a local grandchild. She also made it very clear that she only wanted a girl. She’d accept a boy if that’s what it came to but she truly wanted a girl. Of course she had my brothers kids but since they live in New York, she didn’t get to develop the type of relationship I think she really longed for as a grandmother. She looked forward to any moment she could spend with Aria and Aria is a lot to deal with even for me but she didn’t care. When Aria would come over for the weekend, she insisted that she slept with her which meant Wayne had to sleep elsewhere because Aria is a wild sleeper. She became super attached to and protective over Aria. When she found out about Aria’s heart condition my mom was so worried even though the doctors assured us that the corrective procedure was pretty straightforward and low risk but I don’t think she was able to rest easy until Aria was released from the hospital. And then when Aria ended up back in the hospital with e.coli we were told we’d have to spend Christmas in the hospital while she was being treated for E. coli and my mom was poised and ready to spend Christmas at Children’s Hospital with her despite her looking forward to being with our extended family per usual because she felt the need to make sure Aria was ok herself. We ended up getting out a few days before Christmas and drove straight to my moms house to surprise her and I took a video of her reaction which was priceless. Even though she herself had just gotten diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer about a week prior, knowing Aria was out of the hospital and wouldn’t have to spend Christmas at CHOC brought her so much joy. 

I met Carol only once but she had a beautiful smile and a heart of gold.  She will be truly missed. 

My little sister always had a smile even when she was mad, she use to love animals and birds living in Belize after hurricane Hattie me and my sisters went back home to see if our house was still there we turned the corner at south street and George street and we heard our parrot saying “Carol the come Carol the come”  and we turn and said palli the call you,the lord said he will prepare a place for us but we are never ready,but it is always hard for family and friends,love you and will miss you, your big brother.
Raymond 

Auntie I will always miss u and love u. I remember when first meeting u when I came from Belize. I really love the way u dress I can recall when u would go to the grocery store u would have your fitted jeans and heels on I would say when I grow up I want to be just like u always so fancy. I remember my mom would have u baby sit me and u would pop your Chewing gum around me and I would say to u auntie how do u do that could u teach me and u would just smile at me. But long story short I Admire you from the day I met you and you always place in my heart. 😢😢

Carol,
First & foremost I want to begin by saying thank you for simply being you. Thank you for being such an amazing grandmother to Aria. Thank you for accepting me just as I am & welcoming me into your home, your life & your heart. Thank you for Kevin & for raising him to be the exceptional man that he is. Thank you for showing him what hard work is and how a woman should be treated and teaching him manners. All the tough love & "training" as you’d call it certainly paid off! Thank you for never folding, instilling morals & values in him & doing whatever it took by any means to take care of your family. I pray that one day, god willing, I can somehow become a reflection of you. Even if I am half the mother you are, I would consider myself blessed.

Seeing you interact with Aria gave me hope that I too would have a beautiful relationship with my kids & would grow old to see their kids run & play. Although our time was cut short, I know that Aria will forever have her own angel watching over her. You may no longer be here physically, but I still feel your spirit. I know that your spirit, that spirit that’s strong as a bull yet soft as a rose & that’s bold yet shy will guide me as I continue my journey into motherhood & someday become a wife!

I can never take your place in Kevin’s & Aria’s life but I can be the best version of myself that I know you expect me to be. I promise to raise Aria to be loving, compassionate, respectful, courageous & strong. I promise to protect her & see that she amounts to everything you'd have wanted her to be. I promise to love Kevin unconditionally & continue to trust his plan, because I know that God is leading him as he leads us. I promise to never leave his side & make it my personal duty to see him happy. I promise to let God use me to create a peaceful home for him, encourage him, bear his burdens & reflect your extravagant love for him.

Carol, I love, admire & miss you!

Until we meet again, you will forever be in my heart! 


I was in the ninth grade. I had a Home Economic class project where I had to cook dinner and photograph the process. I chose to cook fish, rice, and vegetables. It was painfully evident that I’ve never really cooked, nor did mom ever think much of me as one, so she just decided to do it herself and let me take pictures along the way. As usual, her food was amazing and I had a final product that was as presentable as it was tasty. Later, as she was washing the dishes, Kevin saw that there was more film left in the disposable camera and decided to try and catch mom’s picture off guard.

He calls mom’s name. Mom, knowing the camera is there, dramatically flings her hair as she turns around and responds, “yeeees??” With a big smile, showing a playful, goofy side of herself that we rarely get to see. It was a treat to see her joke around that way, all while doing what she’s always done best: Provide for her family.


This memory (4 of 5) documents the time I spent as my moms personal assistant. 

For some reason, my mom seemed to think I was her personal assistant. I never applied for the job, negotiated a salary, sick days or anything but without fail, she would call on me to take care of any and everything that came to her mind. “Kevin I want you to go online and pay my mortgage for me”, “Kevin can you help me find something to wear for XYZ event”, “Kevin can you take messenger off my phone”, Kevin why can’t I log into my XYZ account”. And her requests would end with a period and not a question mark so I really didn’t have an option on whether or not I was going to do whatever she asked, it was moreso a question of when was I going to do what she told me to do. And if it was something I didn’t know how to do, I was then charged with figuring it out. Sometimes I would get annoyed that I seemed to be the only employee that got tasked with doing things that I had already shown her how to do herself several times because in my mind, I was the most busy of her kids between work, my family and professional obligations but now looking back I could honestly say I would give anything to be able to hear her ask me to do something I really didn’t want to do again.

Memory 2 of 5 is entitled: 1-2-3. 

Growing up, my siblings and I knew that the one thing we could on every Sunday was 1-2-3. For those who don’t know, 123 is rice and beans, chicken and potato salad and it must be part of the Belizean constitution that your family has to eat it every single Sunday because every Belizean that I know, either eats this or grew up eating this on Sundays. As you could imagine though, by the time I left the house I was sick of 123 because I had it weekly for like 23 years. However, it probably only took like 2 years for me to realize that I missed having 123 on Sundays. A couple times I tried to make 123 on my own and I think my mom would get a kick out of it because it was never really quite like hers. My rice was minute rice and beans were from a can and if you’re Belizean, you know this is unacceptable. My potatoes were always over cooked so the potato salad always looked like mashed potatoes. My chicken was not bad but it was never quite like my moms. As I grew older I would truly look forward to the rare occasions after everyone had moved out when my mom would call to tell me that she was making 123 and I hope that one day my 123 will come out as good as hers.

Quite a few memories stick out in my mind when I think back over the years about the relationship I had with my mom but due to the length restriction, I have to break them into different posts. Here is 1 of 5 from Kevin:

Goodnight kisses
For as long as I could remember, my siblings and I would end our night each giving my mom a kiss, saying good night and then also saying bye. One night when I was maybe 9 or so after the nightly ritual, she told me we didn’t have to do that anymore. It was probably because I had woken her up out of a deep sleep to do the ritual this night. However, in that same year my mom just flat out told me that my breath stinks so in my mind, I knew the reason my mom no longer wanted my goodnight kisses was because of my funky breath. Anyone who knows my mom knows that not only does she not beat around the bush or spare anyone’s feelings, but they will be able to attest to the fact that she has never really been super affectionate... like at all so looking back, it makes sense that she’d just be over the good night kisses apropos nothing. So that was the end of goodnight kisses for us.  However, as her health continued to decline, I decided I should start back up the ritual and at least give her a hug and a kiss when I left her house after visiting or cooking or doing whatever she needed me to do that day. I could see her spirits were down and I know sometimes hugs make people feel better. I had seen other family members do it when they’d leave and she seemed to welcome it so I figured I had nothing to lose. To my contentment, the gesture was very well received. A couple times I would forget to do the hug and kiss and she would make it a point to remind me that I had forgotten so it makes me happy that we reinstated the ritual because the fact that she would remind me about it let’s me know that such a simple gesture really meant something to her, despite how awkward it was for me considering the fact that I’m not super affectionate either.

My fondest memory of mom was watching her do hair in my room as a kid every weekend Thursday, Friday & Saturday we had a full house. She had the whole family looking fly all the time. You name it, she could do it. She did my hair too. I think I was the only 4th grader with a “wrap” lol And because I watched her so much when my requested styles became too much for her to do as I got older I was able to do my own hair and my friends hair in school. Because of her, I have one more way to make money should I ever fall short. My mom knew how to do anything and I’m just happy I was able to master one of her many talents.

One of the most memorable moments that I shared with my mother is when we drove from Las Vegas to California to give her a surprise visit. She had no idea that she was going to see me that day. My sister was the only one that knew we was coming and helped me to coordinate the visit. When she opened the door she was in total shock. There was this beautiful smile on her face because we didn't see each other in years. We enjoyed that moment together even though it was a short visit. Sad to say I didn't know that was the last time that I was going to see my mother again. 

One of my fondest memories with my sister-in-law living in Belize was spending time with them. We would sit in the living room listening to music, where I would clown around and imitate playing the drums and doing all sorts of antics. It was hilarious to us! Carol would say to me after, we had our belly full of laughter, “girl you are crazy”. Her laughter and free spirit brought me joy especially when I would call her from NY just to do our regular chit chat.
Carol your death leaves an ache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory no one can steal.
RIP My Sistrin 
Elga

OBITUARY

Carol Yorke Hodgson

10 December, 1954 – 30 June, 2018

Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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