Katie Adams Hodge

Spartanburg, SC- Katie Adams Hodge, 95, widow of Dr. G. B. Hodge, passed away peacefully at Spartanburg Regional on Saturday, Nov. 28th after a brief illness. A daughter of David Vaden Adams and Lester Susan Adams, she was born in 1920 in Gretna, VA, attended James Madison University, and graduated from Duke University School of Nursing with a BS/RN. She taught clinical nursing at Duke, where she and Dr. Hodge met and married in 1943. They returned to his hometown of Spartanburg in 1948 where he established his surgical practice in the Montgomery Building. “Miss Katie” will be remembered for her great legacy of community service and for being a kind and generous soul who always wanted to help others. She kept fit with tennis and walking, and as an adult she enrolled in humanities courses at Converse and USC Upstate for personal enjoyment. She was an avid fan of Duke Basketball and maintained an interest in current events. Mrs. Hodge was a member of Church of the Advent (Episcopal), where she was elected the first female Senior Warden, taught Sunday School, served on the Altar Guild, served on the Bishop and Council of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, held numerous other lay positions in the Church, tutored for Mary H. Wright School, and held many other leadership roles including organizing the Sesquicentennial Celebration. She belonged to the Battle of Cowpens Chapter of the NSDAR, the Fruit and Flower Garden Club, the Spartanburg County Medical Alliance, and the Duke University School of Nursing Alumni Council. During her volunteer career, she served arts, education, and healthcare organizations throughout Spartanburg too numerous to list. In 1983, along with Honorary Consul Dr. Paul Foerster, she co-chaired the Chamber of Commerce’s 300th Anniversary Celebration of German Immigration to America, a community-wide event. Mrs. Hodge was a Board Member Emerita of Spartanburg Regional Foundation and the USC Upstate Foundation. She was a prolific artist in oils, watercolor, and needlework, all of which have been shown at the Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home, Duke School of Nursing, and the SC Governor’s Mansion in Columbia. In 1997, she received the David W. Reid Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Arts Council of Spartanburg. She blended her passion for the arts with her strong commitment to quality healthcare for all by establishing the Healing Arts program at Spartanburg Regional. Based on a program at Duke, she created innovative fundraising events to provide funds for the purchase of art and for professional musicians to give programs for patients and caregivers. Perhaps her most proud achievement was to inspire and lead the community to establish Spartanburg Regional’s Hospice Home for end-of-life care. Throughout her Board tenure at Spartanburg Regional Foundation, she helped secure corporate and individual support to bring to Spartanburg such luminaries as President and Mrs. George Bush, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Astronaut Chuck Brady, Gen. Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw, Cal Ripken, Jr., and England’s Prime Minister, Lady Margaret Thatcher – also serving as a charming and knowledgeable host representing the Foundation Board. For USC Upstate, she and Dr. Hodge hosted guests such as Helen Hayes, Henry Kissinger, and actor Richard Thomas, as well as governors, senators, and leaders of industry. She served on many committees there, including the Nursing Community Advisory Board and several capital campaigns. Among her many awards for volunteer leadership and service are: Spartanburg Regional Lifetime Achievement Award (2013), Kiwanis Club Citizen of the Year (2008), Piedmont Area Girl Scout Council Woman of Achievement (1998), Wofford College’s Mary Mildred Sullivan Award (1984), USC Upstate’s Founders Day Service Award (1991), and an honorary Doctor of Public Service from USC Upstate (2002), all citing her energetic efforts to enhance health care, education, the arts and her community in general, and for her extraordinary example of volunteer leadership. Mrs. Hodge is survived by a daughter, Susan Hodge Irwin (Pinckney), sons Dr. G. Byron Hodge (Janet) of Lakeland, FL and John Adams Hodge (Sharon) of Columbia; grandchildren Rachel Saul (Ryan), Thomas Byron Hodge (Virginia), Brent Upham (Allie), all of Florida; John Adams Hodge II of Baltimore and David James Hodge of Columbia. Great-grandchildren are Johnny, Ruth, Levi and Naomi Saul, Autumn Davis, Lachlan and Travers Hodge. She is also survived by a sister, Mary Susan Adams Dinkel (Charles) of Maryland. Nieces and nephews include Jamie Hodge, Mark Hodge, Pen Hodge, Mia Hodge Thompson, Charles Hodge, David Vaden Adams III, Mark Adams, Lynn Adams, Ralph Adams, Eric Jones, Lydia Young, Keith Jones and Ingrid Manfredo and their families. She was predeceased by a sister, Maureene Adams Kramer, a brother, David Vaden Adams Jr., and an infant sister Christine Evelyn. Mrs. Hodge’s family wishes to give special thanks to the medical staff and administration of Spartanburg Regional and to the staff and managers of Comfort Keepers, Inc. for their extraordinary care and compassion. A private family burial will be followed by a memorial service at the Episcopal Church of the Advent on Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 3:00 pm, officiated by The Reverend J. Edward Morris, The Reverend Dr. Clay H. Turner, The Reverend Stephen Y. McGehee, and The Reverend Deborah D. Apoldo. A reception will follow in the church’s Parish and Community Life Center. In remembrance of Mrs. Hodge, memorials may be made to Spartanburg Regional Foundation, Re: Hospice Home, 101 E. Wood St., Spartanburg, SC 29303; St. Luke’s Free Clinic, P O Box 3466, Spartanburg, SC 29304; Spartanburg County Foundation, Re: GB Hodge MD Memorial Nursing Scholarship, 424 E. Kennedy St., Spartanburg, SC 29302; Mobile Meals, P O Box 461, Spartanburg, SC 29304; or to the Church of the Advent Foundation, 141 Advent St., Spartanburg, SC 29302.