Paul Franklin Hodgins

Major Paul F. Hodgins, USAF Retired, 89, of Sanford, FL, passed away June 30, 2017. He lived an amazing 89 years (one month shy of his 90th birthday). Born in Sanford July 31, 1927 to Leroy and Charity Hodgins, he attended Sanford schools, graduating from Seminole High School in 1945. He tried to leave school before graduating high school to join the Navy and WWII effort but was talked out of it by his principal. He joined the Navy after graduating high school and served on a minesweeper in the Pacific for two years, leaving the Navy in 1947. He then attended the University of Florida on the GI Bill, for three years, before being accepted to fly for the U.S. Air Force in 1950. He served as an Air Force pilot for 18 years and retired after 20 years of service to his country. His Air Force service included combat operations during the Korean War flying C-119s; and flying surveillance missions during the Cold War in C-130s, along the Turkish border and over the Black Sea, after replacing a crew who was shot down by a Russian fighter jet doing the same mission the month before. He then served in the Vietnam War where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), flying a C-7 Caribou. The DFC was awarded for flying a mission resupplying a Green Beret squad that was under heavy fire. He was aircraft commander on one of four C-7s that launched to support the mission but he was the only one to land his C-7 on the landing strip that was lit by candle pots, under enemy fire in adverse weather at night. He was an excellent pilot who accumulated 20,000 flight hours over his career and was an Air Force Command Pilot. He loved to fly and the only thing he loved more was his family. He met Gale in Albany, GA where he was stationed at Turner Air Force Base and they married on March 27, 1965. After retiring from the Air Force in 1968, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida while flying as an airline pilot. He retired as an airline pilot in 1992. All three of his sons graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) just like he did after retiring from the Air Force and his older son received a Master’s degree from UCF. Paul was preceded in death by his son, Paul Jr., his parents, and sister, Alice, and brother, Roy. Paul is survived by his wife of 52 years, Gale, sons Wynn (Katie), Christopher (Andrea) and six grandchildren Mackenzie, Regan, Lukas, Alexis, William, and Benjamin, whom he loved dearly. His family will always carry his love and devotion to our family. A visitation will be held Friday, July 7, 2017 from 5:00PM-7:00PM, at Baldwin-Fairchild Oaklawn Chapel. A celebration of life with full military honors will be held at Baldwin-Fairchild Oaklawn Chapel, 5000 Country Road 46A, Sanford, Florida 32771 on Saturday, July 8, 2017 at 10:30AM. The family will host a reception to follow.