Walter George Hodgkinson

Walter George "Bud" Hodgkinson, aged 99, of Chicago, Illinois, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2025. Loving husband of the late Audrey R. Hodgkinson. Loving father of Lisa (late Rich) K. Kindstrom, Donald (Leslie) Hodgkinson and Philip (Martha) Hodgkinson. Devoted Grandfather to Timothy Kindstrom, Peter (Ally) Kindstrom, Christopher Kindstrom, Meghan (Brad) DeJong, Cameron Hodgkinson, Kelsey (Eric) Hoffman, Abby Hodgkinson, Amy (Mark) Nutting and Callie Hodgkinson. Devoted Great Grandfather to 7 great grandchildren and 3 step grandchildren. Devoted brother to Darlene (late Charles) Walles and William (Carol) Dick. Proud uncle of many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents, Frederick Hodgkinson and Agnes Hodgkinson Dick, step-father William Dick, brother Frederick (Lynn) Hodgkinson, sisters Nancy (Norman) Quinn and Lucy (Fred) Springs.

Born shortly after the death of his father, Bud and his siblings were raised by his widowed mother in the Great Depression in the Ravenswood community of Chicago. Very early in his life, Bud and his family began attending the Swedish Mission Covenant Church on Damen Ave., later to become the Ravenswood Covenant Church. Ravenswood was his home church for the rest of his life. Bud's service to God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Ravenswood included, youth group leader, choir member, trustee board member, diaconate board member, vice chairman and numerous terms as church chairman. Under his guidance, Ravenswood began to purchase homes surrounding the church and as a result of his foresight, the church now has a parking lot and playground space that is used as an outreach to the surrounding community.

Upon graduating from Amundsen High School in 1944, Bud enlisted in the Army. After training to become a radio operator in the Army Air Force, Bud spent 18 months in Europe as part of a flight crew that photomapped parts of the European roads and railways systems. Near the end of his tour in Europe, Bud had the opportunity to travel to Scotland to meet his relatives for the first time, including his grandfather. His first trip to Scotland triggered Bud's lifelong passion for traveling.

On the troop ship back to the states, Bud struck up a conversation with another GI from Chicago who told Bud that he was going to attend North Park Junior College. Bud had not considered going to college but with the nudge from his fellow soldier, Bud enrolled at North Park and met many lifelong friends. Bud graduated with an Associate's degree from North Park in 1948. Bud then obtained his Bachelor's degree from Lake Forest College in 1950, which he considered one of his top 5 accomplishments.

After traveling in Europe and getting a college education, he met a young woman who stole his heart forever. Audrey and he met in April of 1955 and were married in October of 1955. Their love grew and thrived through 65 years of marriage and even after her death in 2021.

In 1965, Bud began a 50 year career in real estate starting Hodgkinson Realty and purchasing a lawn and garden shop in Lincolnwood called Van Zeelt's. Bud touched many people's lives through Hodgkinson Realty and Van Zeelt's, helping them purchase a home, rent an apartment, giving them a job or managing their real estate. A number of the people hired at Van Zeelt's were North Park students, who after their graduation, were helped by Bud's numerous business connections. Many people who were coming to Chicago for the first time, not only became clients of Bud's but also became good friends of he and Audrey. Bud always had a smile and often an invitation to join him for lunch.

His vision of enhancing the North Park University campus included purchasing and rehabbing properties and encouraging others to do so as well. The results of his efforts contributed to beautiful campus we see today. His belief in North Park and along with Audrey's vision of helping young people resulted in the establishment of the Audrey R. Hodgkinson Nursing Scholarship that helps Chicago Public School students achieve their career goal of becoming a nurse.

In his desire to serve God, Bud was very generous with his time and his expertise, serving as a board member of Covenant Home of Chicago, Swedish Covenant Hospital (now Swedish Hospital), Covenant Retirement Communities (now Covenant Living), Covenant Ministries of Benevolence, Ravenswood Kiwanis, Covenant Basketball League, and many other organizations.

Bud was a big Cubs fan, getting into games at Wrigley Field during the Great Depression by being part of the after game clean-up crews. That was the beginning of attending Cubs games for 9 decades. He instilled a love of the Cubs in his family that spans 4 generations. Ernie Banks was even a guest at Bud and Audrey's house for lunch. A recent highlight of Bud's was being honored on the field by the Cubs as a World War II Veteran.

Visitation with the family will be at 11:00 am followed by a memorial service at 12:00 pm on Saturday, January 24, 2026, will be held at Ravenswood Covenant Church, 4900 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, Illinois, with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to Ravenswood Covenant Church or the fund for the Dining Commons at Covenant Harbor Bible Camp of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.