JAMES HODGE
OXFORD – James Oby “Jim” Hodge, 70, of Oxford passed away Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at his home.
He was the husband of Barbara C. (Hendrickson) Hodge for 51 years. Born Feb. 23, 1941, in Norwich, he was the son of the late Grant and Louise (Spice) Hodge.
The land that comprises Oxpres Farms, a dairy farm with barns and land in both Oxford and Preston, has been an ever-present part of Jim’s life. At 7 years old, he walked alongside his father and brother, E. Donald Hodge, herding their dairy cows from downtown Oxford to this newly purchased land. When their father died in 1960, 19- year-old Jim and 23-year old Donald became partners in operating the family farm they came to call “Oxpres Farms.”
After retiring from farming in 2005, though lung and heart disease confined Jim’s movements, he still got around the farm on a four-wheeler rigged to hold and oxygen tank, riding through fields and pastures to visit his brother, his sons and his grandchildren, all living on the land he’d known since childhood. He loved watching the birds, the Atlanta Braves, evening chats with his sons, the regular traffic that a farm brings even after retirement, talking politics and pulling a good prank.
In addition to his wife, Barbara, Jim is survived by one daughter, Deborah A. Hodge and husband Neil Niman of Durham, N.H., two sons, Mark G. Hodge and wife Pepper of Oxford, Matthew J. Hodge and partner Julie Micha of Oxford; eight grandchildren, Joshua and Isaac Niman, Sara, Hannah, Emma and Ethan Hodge, Kassidy and Jenna Hodge, one brother E. Donald Hodge and wife Barbara J. Hodge; four sisters-in-law, four brothers-in-law and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his nephew Terry S. Hodge.
A memorial service for Jim will be held on Jim’s farm in the spring. There will be no calling hours.
Memorial contributions in Jim’s memory may be sent to the Oxford Fire Dept. Emergency Squad, PO Box 172, Oxford, NY 13830 or to Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, 21 Hayes St., Norwich, NY 13815
Arrangements are with the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home.