(Edward) Spencer Hodge was born on September 29, 1940 to Frances Davies Hodge and Edward McKinley Hodge. Spencer attended school in Fort Worth and graduated from Paschal High School in 1958. He began college at Texas A&M in College Station, but returned home after one semester because his father had become ill. Spencer started taking flying lessons when he was 15, and continued flying through his college years. He began instructing during his time at TCU, and after graduating in 1962, he married Carolyn Pace and they began a marriage that would last 58 years. Together they had three children, Kimberly, Jeffrey and Amy. Amy would pass away two years later. In 1963, Spencer was hired by Braniff International, and would check out as Captain, being at age 23, Braniff's youngest Captain. His happy years with Braniff continued for 25 years until Braniff's demise.
Spencer, who was far from ready to retire, started his own company, Foundation Drillers. Jeffrey became part of the business, and the company grew into drilling large piers for bridges and highway interchanges for the state of Texas. Spencer never gave up his love for flying. He had accumulated a WWII J3 Cub, a Bonanza Beechcraft, and eventually his pride and joy, a 1943 Beech Staggerwing. He continued his love for flying until his health began to fail. In October 2020 he was diagnosed with an aggressive, rare form of Leukemia. On Tuesday September 29 he celebrated his 80th birthday with family and entered the hospital the next day to begin cancer treatments. He immediately suffered a debilitating stroke, and quickly began to deteriorate. He fought the battle, but lost that battle in the early morning hours of October 16, when his Heavenly Father called him home.
Spencer was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Amy. He survived by his wife of 58 years, Carolyn Pace Hodge, daughter Kimberly Cooper and husband Brian Cooper, son, Jeffrey Spencer Hodge, and the lights of his life, his only granddaughter and namesake, Spencer Danielle Hodge, grandson Brayden Pace Hodge of Weatherford, Texas, twin grandsons Cade Ellis Cooper and Corbin Blaine Cooper of Decatur, Texas an extended family, and many dear friends.
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