Memorial set as friends and community remember Washington Mayor

Friends and an entire community are remembering their mayor who died after battling COVID-19 since last month.
Published: Aug. 13, 2020 at 8:26 PM EDT
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WASHINGTON, N.C. (WITN) - Friends and an entire community are remembering their mayor who died after battling COVID-19 since last month.

Washington Mayor Mac Hodges, 69-years-old, passed away Wednesday at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville.

Thursday, the flags on the Washington waterfront were lowered to half staff to honor a man called a leader, a friend, and great ECU Pirate supporter.

Jay Jones, Floor Store owner says, “You could come down to this waterfront almost anytime and see him walking by and talking to the people.”

Mayor Hodges tested positive for COVID-19 on July 16th. Five days later he was hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. He was on a ventilator since July 29th.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says, “I know that this was a tough fight for him, this is a cruel virus.”

Hodges became the Mayor of Washington in 2013.

City Manager Jonathan Russell says, “He was a great leader in the community, truly had a larger than life personality. Never met a stranger.”

Russell says Hodges had many accomplishments during his tenure as mayor. “The Streetscape Project was one of his larger efforts and he did help revitalize downtown.”

Randy Walker, co-owner of G.W. Walker & Sons says the city will miss his ideas the most, but for him, he lost a brother. “Friendship. He was somebody when you walked into a room and he was in the room you just started smiling.”

Third District Congressmen Greg Murphy is also saddened by his passing. “And it goes to show you also that this virus is real. We have to continue to use the precautions and the safety measures to try to keep the most vulnerable safe.”

Hodges was a Washington High School and ECU graduate.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at Festival Park in downtown Washington. It is open to the public. Organizers ask you to wear a mask and stay socially distant from others.

The service will also be streamed live on the City of Washington and Church of the Good Shepard Facebook pages.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in Mac’s honor to the East Carolina University Pirate Club, 304 Ward Sports Medicine Bldg, Greenville N.C. 27858.

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