Joan Daniel Hodges

Joan Daniel Hodges departed this life on March 4, 2021, surrounded by her children and grandchildren who sang, prayed, laughed and held her hand as she passed into the next life. Born August 3, 1929, to E.B. Daniel Jr. and Irene Andrews, she grew up in Toyah and Pecos, Texas, where she was surrounded by her large West Texas family of ranchers and railroad people. She received her B.A. from Texas State College for Women in Denton, the first woman in her family to graduate from college. After teaching in El Paso and Ft. Worth, and working for the American Cancer Society, she paused her career to marry Richard Huff Hodges of Austin, Texas.

As they raised their three children in Dallas, Joan gradually reentered the workforce as a pioneer in teaching students with learning differences. She was part of the founding faculty of The Episcopal School of Dallas, where she eventually became Head of the Upper School. She ended her professional career on the staff of St. Philip's Episcopal School and Community Center. Her life as an educator continued long after retirement, including being a tutor and mentor in the pre-GED program at St.Matthew's Cathedral.

Formed in all the best ways by her good Baptist and Presbyterian relatives, Joan discovered the Book of Common Prayer during college and brought most of the rest of her family with her into The Episcopal Church. At Church of The Incarnation, she led a chapter of the Girls Friendly Society, handled logistics for Operation Life Encounter (O.L.E), taught Sunday school and ferried her children to innumerable activities at church. She was the first female senior warden at The Cathedral. As one former dean commented, "She would tell you the unvarnished truth to your face and have your back at the same time". Her volunteer work for the Country Fair and the friendships she made there brought her years of joy.

Among the many communities that profoundly shaped her Gospel-based passion for social justice was her participation in The Panel of American Women. This interfaith/multicultural cohort of women took their varied, and sometimes traumatic, personal narratives of racial and religious prejudice and discrimination into schools, congregations, and civic clubs to model a 1960's form of truth-telling during a highly volatile, divisive period in local and national life. The fellowship and testimonies of these women, their courage, intellect and good humor not only elevated the conversation of race, religion and ethnicity in Dallas in the 1960s but also raised the consciences of the husbands and children who were along for the rich ride. When she was unable to lend her presence for support, she demonstrated her generosity and committed financially to groups like Emily's List, the Democratic Party, and directly to women across the country in their congressional campaigns.

Joan was predeceased by her husband of 40 years, Dick Hodges, and her brother, Edward A. Daniel. She is survived by her three children, Anne Hodges-Copple (John), Joan E. Hodges and Richard C. Hodges (Holly), nine grandchildren: Daniel Copple (Ally), Thomas Hodges-Copple, Sally Hodges-Copple, Geoffrey Winn Hodges Short, Elizabeth Irene Hodges Short, Harris Alexander Hodges Short, Anne Macey Hodges Short, Gus Edward Hodges, and Max Curran Hodges. Her great-grandsons Henry Orlando Copple and Theodore Ross Copple thrilled her heart to no end.

The funeral will be at St. Matthew's Cathedral on March 27 at 2 p.m. The Very Rev. Robert P. Price will be the celebrant. Due to COVID, in-person worship will be restricted to the family, but the service will be live-streamed (and recorded) on the Cathedral Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StMatthewsCathedralDallas.

The family wishes to give special thanks and appreciation to the compassionate care team at C.C. Young Retirement Community and her caregivers Lisa and Tsisi, especially during the last year of her life. No flowers, please. Memorial funds in Joan's memory are being established at St. Matthew's Cathedral www.episcopalcathedral.org" and St. Philip's School and Community Center https://www.stphilips1600.org/.