Irma Hodge
d. February 26, 2016
Mom (Irma) was born in Dawson, MN on 10/4/38 to Floyd Jordahl & Florence (Olson) Jordahl, the second daughter of four children. Arlyce - 1st born daughter, Patricia - 3rd daughter and Curtis - the youngest and only brother/son- Floyd passed away when mom and her sisters were still teenagers. They moved from Dawson to Montevideo in the mid-50s and she graduated from Monte High School in 1956. She was married to Donovan Heggestad of Watson, MN in Jan. 1958. They lived in Rapid City S.D. until Donovan was discharged from the U.S.A.F. and then moved to St. Cloud, MN where their son, Doug, was born in Nov. 1959. They divorced in early 1961. Irma and her son, Doug, moved back to Montevideo near her family. Mom later met & fell in love with Larry Hodge of Montevideo and they were married in Nov. of 1963. They first lived in Lakeville, MN and Bloomington, MN where Larry worked for a fairly new division of the MN DMV as a State Driver’s License Examiner. Their daughter Denise was born in March of 1965 and the blissful young couple now had a son, a daughter and was eagerly looking forward to a very bright future. Larry was also moving up in his job rapidly. They moved to Faribault, MN in the spring of 1966, when Larry was transferred to a new office. Sadly, on Christmas Eve 1966, Mom was suddenly widowed. With much support from family and friends she soon moved herself and her two children back to Montevideo. Larry Hodge was the love of her life and she never remarried.
About 2 years later, her two sisters, Arlyce & Patty, also single and raising young children at the time, convinced mom to move to Granite Falls in 1968 so they'd all be nearby one-another. Arlyce had 3 children, Scott, Shannon & Sheldon. Patty had two children, Dawn & Brian, and mom had two children, Doug and Denise. Although her brother Curt most often lived some distance from Granite Falls, he and his children were always very involved in family events and general antics. Arlyce and Patty both later married and moved away from time to time, but the family stayed very close. All of their children came to grow up together and were more like brothers and sisters than cousins. During the end of the 60s, all through the 70s and into the 80s our close-knit family's intertwined stories covered the spectrum from pure joy to devastation,
like all families do, but we all consistently agree to this day that love, laughter and family bonds have ceaselessly dominated all else.
The youngest sibling, Curt, passed away in the early to mid-80s. Her older sister, Arlyce, passed away not long after. Florence, her mother, (our grandmother) passed away in the late 00s and mom's sister Patty passed away about 5 years ago. Mom was the last surviving member of her immediate family. This family will also consistently agree 100% that for almost 50 years, mom has been the family ROCK. She maintained our home like a drama-free bubble of calmness and safety for us ...a tranquil harbor when anybody needed one. Mom was the one everyone ran to in hard times and counseled with through sad times. Even though she never had much in the way of money or possessions there was never any hesitation in helping family and friends in need any way she could. Her kindness, wisdom, acceptance and generosity was truly famous!
Mom was interested in ....everything! To say she was an avid reader would be a huge understatement and the sheer number of books she read was well into the thousands. Some might not be aware that mom was quite an artist although she only recently made an effort at learning to paint. Mom was a very talented and skilled seamstress. She could knit & crochet' with the best of'’em. She loved gardening and was seldom (if ever) put-off by any home improvement task including carpentry, plumbing, painting or wallpapering, (but wisely drew the line at electrical work). No human being is perfect and yes, we admit to being biased, but seriously, one would have a very, very tough time finding anyone who would have anything negative to say about Irma Hodge. She was ever thoughtful about the feelings of others and conducted herself with dignity in all her interactions. Her credit and money management was impeccable, as she maintained a stellar level of trust among local business owners. Even though she might not agree, she was always accepting of different viewpoints and lifestyles as long as no harm came to anyone as a result of it. Consistently kind and pleasant, we frequently would hear comments like, "Oh, Irma is your Mom? What a nice lady!!" "So interesting & easy to talk to." She set an excellent example for us to always be kind, polite & considerate of others. To think beyond ourselves - quick to help but slow to judge. Be respectful and be respectable. To explore, try new things and always be open to new ideas. Listen to all sides, to your heart and be a free-thinker. Look beyond the obvious & think despite emotional reflex. Always choose love over fear!
About 2 years later, her two sisters, Arlyce & Patty, also single and raising young children at the time, convinced mom to move to Granite Falls in 1968 so they'd all be nearby one-another. Arlyce had 3 children, Scott, Shannon & Sheldon. Patty had two children, Dawn & Brian, and mom had two children, Doug and Denise. Although her brother Curt most often lived some distance from Granite Falls, he and his children were always very involved in family events and general antics. Arlyce and Patty both later married and moved away from time to time, but the family stayed very close. All of their children came to grow up together and were more like brothers and sisters than cousins. During the end of the 60s, all through the 70s and into the 80s our close-knit family's intertwined stories covered the spectrum from pure joy to devastation,
like all families do, but we all consistently agree to this day that love, laughter and family bonds have ceaselessly dominated all else.
The youngest sibling, Curt, passed away in the early to mid-80s. Her older sister, Arlyce, passed away not long after. Florence, her mother, (our grandmother) passed away in the late 00s and mom's sister Patty passed away about 5 years ago. Mom was the last surviving member of her immediate family. This family will also consistently agree 100% that for almost 50 years, mom has been the family ROCK. She maintained our home like a drama-free bubble of calmness and safety for us ...a tranquil harbor when anybody needed one. Mom was the one everyone ran to in hard times and counseled with through sad times. Even though she never had much in the way of money or possessions there was never any hesitation in helping family and friends in need any way she could. Her kindness, wisdom, acceptance and generosity was truly famous!
Mom was interested in ....everything! To say she was an avid reader would be a huge understatement and the sheer number of books she read was well into the thousands. Some might not be aware that mom was quite an artist although she only recently made an effort at learning to paint. Mom was a very talented and skilled seamstress. She could knit & crochet' with the best of'’em. She loved gardening and was seldom (if ever) put-off by any home improvement task including carpentry, plumbing, painting or wallpapering, (but wisely drew the line at electrical work). No human being is perfect and yes, we admit to being biased, but seriously, one would have a very, very tough time finding anyone who would have anything negative to say about Irma Hodge. She was ever thoughtful about the feelings of others and conducted herself with dignity in all her interactions. Her credit and money management was impeccable, as she maintained a stellar level of trust among local business owners. Even though she might not agree, she was always accepting of different viewpoints and lifestyles as long as no harm came to anyone as a result of it. Consistently kind and pleasant, we frequently would hear comments like, "Oh, Irma is your Mom? What a nice lady!!" "So interesting & easy to talk to." She set an excellent example for us to always be kind, polite & considerate of others. To think beyond ourselves - quick to help but slow to judge. Be respectful and be respectable. To explore, try new things and always be open to new ideas. Listen to all sides, to your heart and be a free-thinker. Look beyond the obvious & think despite emotional reflex. Always choose love over fear!
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