Patricia P. Hodges Dies October 20

Patricia P. Hodges died on October 20, 2019, at Stony Brook University Hospital, surrounded by her stepsons, Parker Hodges and Paul Hodges, sister Dorothy Whitt, niece Mimi Barnes and daughter-in-law Lydia Franco-Hodges. Ms. Hodges was struck by a vehicle in Greenport while walking with a friend.

Born in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1937 to parents Richard and Effie Patterson, she was the youngest in a family that included siblings, Dorothy, Martha, Joe, Richard, and William Patterson. After college, she lived in and worked in Miami as a TWA flight attendant and then in advertising. In 1969, she moved to New York City and spent the majority of her career at Time Inc. where she worked in promotion and public affairs. She also traveled on what were then called Newstours to the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. She coproduced “A Woman’s Place” for Life magazine which won a Special Gold Medal from the International Film Festival. In 1978, overnight, Ms. Hodges became an instant mother as her young stepsons arrived from a country at war.

On camping trips out West and in the Alaskan wilderness, she was game for anything as long as she was with her husband, Paul W. Hodges, and her boys. In 1994, Paul, an executive vice president and creative director in advertising, died. Close family and friends supported her through her grief.

Inspired by the natural wonder around her Southampton home, she began to paint. She studied mixed media and watercolor with Kimberly Monsoon at the Amagansett Applied Arts, and oil painting with Mike Viera at the James Street Scumblers. Her art reflects her respect and awe for nature, survivors said.

Her joy in life was her sons and daughter-in-law and she awaited her sister Dot’s call every night. She was grateful for her niece Mimi and her meticulous help in her recent move to Greenport.

Survivors said she was a gifted and generous host, passionate about her friends, politics, race relations, the New York Times crossword puzzle, painting, reading, and The Voice. Her lobster pot pie, pecan pie, popovers and Irish coffees are unforgettable. But it was her company survivors remember most, noting that an evening with Ms. Hodges was sustenance for the soul.

She is survived by her stepsons, Paul W. Hodges Jr., Parker Hodges and wife Lydia; sisters, Dorothy Whitt, Martha Campbell and husband Glen; brother Joe W. Patterson and wife Jane, their families, new friends, old friends, and “the girls.”

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton.