She was born in 1937 in Portland, Oregon. Her parents were Roy and Florence “Tilly” Hillier.
In 1956, Donna married Arthur Lawrence Hodge, also from Portland, Oregon. Over the next 15 years, Donna and Art lived in Oregon, Singapore, California, and Connecticut, eventually settling in Virginia Beach in 1972, where they stayed for the next 54 years.
In 1981, Donna began a career at Cox Communications, where she worked until she retired as Executive Assistant to the Vice-President of the company. Donna was a respected and valued member of the Cox community. She often took the lead in special community projects supported by the company, including the yearly Christmas pageant, and the Make-A-Wish charity outreach. Donna made many lifelong friends at Cox, and maintained connections with them for years after she retired.
Donna was a gifted artist. She painted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits in various media: oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. She loved arts and crafts, and was a skilled seamstress, with stuffed animals (dragons!) and dolls (mermaids!) among her specialties. She loved gardening. She loved baking (pies, cookies, and cakes!). She loved preparing holiday meals for her family.
Donna was sweet, kind, gentle, and had a quiet, unassuming personality. She was also strong, determined, and hard-working. She had a beautiful smile.
Donna is survived by her husband of 70 years, Arthur L. Hodge; her sister Janet Chaney; her 4 children, Jolene, Gary, Terri, and Jim; and her 6 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
Donations honoring Donna can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, using the “Tribute” link on their webpage. <https://alzfdn.org/donate/>
