John Raymond Hodges

John Raymond Hodges passed away peacefully on November 4, 2025, at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas shortly after celebrating his 100th birthday on August 30, 2025. Though his name may never have appeared in headlines, the imprint he left on the world is deep, wide, and lasting—reflected in the countless students he taught, the family he loved, and the lives he quietly helped shape.

John is preceded in death by his first wife of 25 years, Maria DiMeglio Hodges, and survived by his beloved second wife of 46 years, Blanche Meriwether Hodges, along with a host of Hodges—his children Lucia, Raymond (Marcia Atkinson), and Carol Hodges, and his grandchildren John, Thomas, and Elizabeth Hodges. He also claimed the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Carol’s late husband, Robert Reneau, including Lisa Hinshaw and Anna Reneau.

John was born to James Cleveland Hodges and Ruby Magda Hodges at the "old St. Vincent's" in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in Little Rock. A lifelong Roman Catholic, he was deeply committed to the Faith throughout his life, first as a member of Our Lady of the Holy Souls parish for many years, then at Our Lady of Good Counsel, where his children followed in his footsteps by attending the grade school; he later belonged to Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock. His devotion was evident not only in regular church attendance but in the way he lived out his values daily: with humility, kindness, integrity, and care for others.

John graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School for boys in 1942 (which his son and grandsons later attended). During World War II, John enlisted in the US Navy as a petty officer of the naval ROTC second platoon in the V-12 program at Tulane University, after which he served on a destroyer in the Pacific theater.

Post-war, he earned a PhD in mathematics and went on to spend most of his career as a math professor. The institution which began as Little Rock Junior College became Little Rock University and later joined the UA system as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; John accompanied these transitions during his long career. In the 1970's as head of the math department, John listened to the female professors who were paid less than their male counterparts, and as a result, he ensured that they were paid an equitable salary. He was also instrumental in adding Computer Sciences as part of the Mathematics Department at UALR.

His love of mathematics was matched only by his passion for sharing it. When house-hunting with John and Blanche after their marriage in the late 1970's, his youngest child was amazed at how many realtors remembered taking his classes during their college years. Even after retirement in 1991, he continued to teach math as a volunteer tutor through the Bright Futures program, offering encouragement, clarity, and his signature patience with anyone who needed help understanding a difficult problem—or sometimes just life itself.

John remained active in the military, serving as a Commander in the Naval Reserve, and each summer brought his three children and first wife, Mary, along to new places across the country on his annual training duties. These trips were cherished family adventures, creating lasting memories through shared discovery, car rides, and camping. The children still remember John pitching a tent in the sleet on a concrete pad, disappointed that the Grand Canyon was filled with fog at that time.

John had a natural and enduring curiosity. He spent countless hours tracing his family roots all the way back to the 1500s in what became a lifelong pursuit in genealogy. He loved collecting and classifying a diversity of things, among them: stamps, coins, miniature liquor bottles, minerals, and old movies. Fishing, gardening, reading Science, Smithsonian and National Geographic magazines, listening to classical music, and playing card games with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were also favorite pastimes.

In his later years, John explored math through computer-generated visualizations of equations to see what beauty they might reveal. At age 98 he discovered a mathematical function that resembled the ancient Yin-Yang symbol—a “pretty cool find,” as he put it. The national journal Mathematics Magazine agreed, publishing his result as a reader challenge in the December 2023 edition.

But beyond these intellectual pursuits, what truly defined John was his deep and quiet love for people. He welcomed all as family—mailmen, neighbors, his children’s friends, those related by marriage, and even caregivers. He was known for listening without judgment, teaching without condescension, and loving without condition. His grandchildren remember his unfailing patience, genial but sometimes offbeat sense of humor, thoughtful questions, and the way a visit to Papaw John’s house could restore the soul.

The family would like to thank all who took care of him at CHI St. Vincent and Pleasant Valley Rehab, as well as the compassionate caregivers from A Place at Home, especially Linda Crosby.

He will be deeply missed—and joyfully remembered.

A visitation will be held at Smith Little Rock Funeral Home on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 from 5 PM – 6 PM, followed by a short prayer service at 6 PM. The funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 10 AM at Christ the King Catholic Church, with burial immediately following at Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock. Pallbearers are Raymond Hodges, John Hodges, Thomas Hodges, and Susan Baldwin. Honorary pallbearers are Tom Eaton and Jack Kenney.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation in John’s name to one of the following charities, and/or bring a nonperishable food item to be placed in the "Mom's Pantry" area of the vestibule at the funeral:

-Soaring Eagle, PO Drawer 879, Billings, MT 59103—0879, https://soaringeagle.org

-Heifer Project, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72202, https://www.heifer.org/give

-Sacred Heart Southern Missions, 6050 Hwy 161, Walls, MS 38686, https://secure.shsm.org/site/Donation2?df_id=8900&8900.donation=form1

-St Labre Indian School, Ashland, MT 59004, https://www.stlabre.org/ways-to-give/

-Scholarship fund for Little Rock Catholic High School: https://www.catholichigh.org/giving/scholarships

-Macular Degeneration Research, 22200 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871, https://donate.brightfocus.org/mdr/donate?gad_source=1