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 In the early hours of Friday March 17, Gene Hodges traveled down Wilkinson Lane one final time. He rode off into the most beautiful sunrise, in true “Gene” style. He passed peacefully next to his loving wife of 65 years, Doris, surrounded by his adoring children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Services will be held Saturday, March 25, at 11 a.m. in the Rose Room Chapel at Croxford Funeral Home. Internment will commence at Highland Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held at The Best Western Plus Heritage Inn at 2 p.m. Saturday. Everyone is asked to bring a picture of their dog and a good story. The lights of the old bridge will be lit that evening in his honor.

     Gene was born in Spokane, Wash., to Clarence and Patricia Hodges. He was the second of two boys. He and his brother Jack were raised on the family farm in a small Finnish community northwest of Geyser, MT, named Spion Kop under the care of their maternal grandparents August and Sanna Pohto.

     At the age of ten, Gene and his brother Jack hitchhiked to California to be with their mother. Then at age 13 they came back to Great Falls and lived with multiple relatives over the years. They did farm work in the Highwood area and picked up mechanical jobs to get by.

     At 18, he met Doris Nichols in Great Falls. They married on Nov. 22, 1951. He was drafted into the military and began service on Nov. 29, 1951, during the Korean war. He chose to be a Marine and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. He trained to become a tank mechanic and was honorably discharged Nov. 6, 1953.

     After service, he and Doris moved back to Great Falls and he was hired by Bennett Motors as a mechanic. A few years later, he accepted a job with the Montana State Highway Dept. as a mechanic.  He remained there until his retirement in 1988.

     He and Doris had 4 children, two sons and two daughters.

     Most people would truly know Gene through his love of animals, mainly dogs. He was a founding member of the Electric City Kennel Club and then the Great Falls Dog Training Club. He and Doris traveled throughout the United States and Canada, competing with their dogs both in confirmation and obedience trials. He won thousands of ribbons, trophies, titles and championships over the years. He held the honor of top-winning dog in both the United States and Canada, for two years, with his beloved “Zelda.”

     He also conducted his own dog obedience classes at the Great Falls fairgrounds for over 40 years. He would say that he didn’t train dogs; he trained people to train their dogs.

     Gene, 86, is survived by his wife Doris; son Brian, and daughters Cheryl Walsh and Melissa (Richie) Greenwood, all of Great Falls; grandchildren Cody Hodges, Tiffany (Mark) Devereaux, Kara Walsh, Zachary (Kristine) Ortiz, Nicole (Mike) Adams, Kristine (Joni) Pierre and Kailey Hodges; greatgrandchildren Eden, Carissa, Benita, Carter, Bella, Trevon, Elijah, Haiden, Dugan, Markus, Mia and his best-ever buddy, Quintin Greer; and so many other little ones that considered him Grampa.

     He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Patricia Hodges, his brother Jack and his son Gerald (Jerry).

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