Early in the morning of the 25th of June 2016, the angels came to release Thomas Mark Hodges, Sr. of Kennesaw, Georgia from his earthly bonds and transported his spirit to Heaven. There he now dwells in perfected form, in the presence of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all the Saints and loved ones who have gone before. A true supporter of the Georgia Tech Athletic family, he was born on the 26th of March 1927 in Oconee, Georgia and grew up in Dublin graduating from Dublin High School in 1944. He delivered three paper routes his senior year and was the smallest boy in his class, but lettered in football. He joined the Army out of high school and attended Clemson University in the ASTRP program. As the Army needed foot soldiers and not pilots, his group was allowed to get discharged. He joined the Navy V-5 program and was sent to Mercer, then to GA Tech, then to flight school. The war being over, he was released. Now being 180 pounds, he went to GMC to play football. Upon graduation in 1947, he went back to Tech and got his degree in Industrial Management (getting his much treasured GT letter in wrestling) in 1950. He went to work in sales training in Macon with Bigg Manufacturing, but having stayed active in the naval reserve, was called to active duty in the Korean Conflict and spent two years aboard the USS Severn in 1951-1953. After his release, he joined McAfee Candy of Macon and was sent to Indianapolis as a purchasing agent. He met the girl of his dreams, Nancy Newton, on July 5, 1955, proposed that same night, and three months later they were married. They were married for 53 years until her passing in 2008. Wanting to get into sales, in 1960 he joined an aggressive small printing company, Printpack Inc. of Atlanta. He represented them for 6 years in Chicago, and then returned to Atlanta. In 1980 he retired as a VP, wanting to do something on his own, became a peanut and chocolate broker. In 1984, he, along with his daughter Brooks bought Georgia International Travel, Inc. His son Tom and daughter Leslie also joined the family business. They built the agency to an Atlanta top 25 agency and he sold the business in May 2006 to enjoy his retirement. Having stayed active in the Naval Reserve, he retired as a Commander in 1973. He was a member of Cherokee Town and Country Club, joining in 1967, and the Atlanta Downtown Rotary Club, joining in 1970. He was active in SKAL, ASTA, and TIAG, all travel associations. He was a member of Northside Methodist Church since 1968. He is survived by his wife of 6 years, Patricia Rustin-Hodges; daughter Brooks McMullan and granddaughter Posey of Harrisonburg, VA; his son Thomas Mark Hodges, Jr. (Elizabeth) and grandson Dustin of Seaside, CA; daughter Leslie Kohrmann (Jeff) and granddaughter Sarah of Roswell, Georgia ; brother-in-law Carl Williams of Dublin Georgia; sister-in-law Ann Hodges of Dublin Georgia; granddaughter, Ashley Eininger (John), and great-grandchildren Jace and Eva; grandson Benjamin Holmberg (Brook) and great-grandsons Theo and Jasper; stepchildren Joe M. Phillips III, MD (Julie) with their children Savannah, Zachary and Keese, Frank Andrew Phillips with his son Christian, and Christopher Lee Phillips (Anne Wallace) with their son Britain; sister-in-law Mary Pamela Anderson and many nieces and nephews. Included in his beloved family are his loyal caregivers Brittany Lee, Leateka Usher, and Shantel Thornton. Marks' compassion was unsurpassed; he will be missed by all who knew him. A memorial service celebrating his life will be conducted on Saturday, July 30, 2016, 1:00pm at Northside United Methodist Church, 2799 Northside Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. The Reverend Dr. G. Gil Watson will officiate. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Shepherd Spinal Center 2020 Peachtree Road Atlanta GA 30309-1465, Atlanta Humane Society, 981 Howell Mill Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, or the Ga. Tech Foundation, 150 Bobby Dodd Way, NW, Atlanta, GA 30332. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation and reception with the family following the service at the church.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18