Laura Hodes Fry

Laura ‘Bebe’ Fry, 86, passed away on February 13, 2022, leaving her family with a rich history of adventure that carries on through her daughters and grandchildren. Laura was born in Manilla, Philippines, and was the youngest daughter of General Henry I. Hodes. She traveled the world with her family throughout World War II and the Korean Conflict. She attended high school in Germany after the war and visited most of Europe with friends and family during that time. She tells stories of how, when living in West Berlin during the Cold War, their family boxer dog, Axel, escaped, got across the Berlin Wall into East Berlin. She recalls how accommodating and nice the East Berliners were to return the dog. Also, she remembers when she attended a 4th of July celebration in Washington DC as a little girl, viewing the fireworks from a substantial and official office. Her mother made her promise not to touch anything – turns out it was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s office.

My parents met in Austin, TX, at Scholz’s Beer Garten, where my father helped my mom get out one of the many trees that grow in its courtyard. A match was made that day. They married, traveled across the country to California, back to Texas, then ultimately to Arkansas where they lived a quiet but full life doing what came naturally – working hard and having fun. They owned a small farm, then moved to Murfreesboro, AR, where they owned the Pike County Courier newspaper. The next adventure took them to Little Rock, AR, and then Maumelle, AR, where they retired.

Bebe was preceded in death by her husband, Emmett Roland Fry, her parents, General Henry Irving Hodes and her mother (her namesake), Laura Celeste Hodes, her siblings, Colonel John Taylor Hodes and Jean Hodes Quereau. She is survived by her daughters, Kenley Money and Kate Fry, and her grandchildren, Carmen, Brandon, and Alec Henderson.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Maumelle Friends of the Animals.