Joe Tommy Hodgin, 77, of Williamsburg, New Mexico went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Born on August 10, 1944, Joe was the son of the late Harvey H. and Irene (West) Hodgin.
Joe graduated from Hot Springs High School in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. He served the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam era and spent some time in Okinawa, Japan. Joe worked several years at White Sands Missile Range and then worked as a foreman for the Gas Company of New Mexico over 27 years and retired from there. He also worked as a caretaker of the New Mexico Assemblies of God Campgrounds both in Mountainair and Ruidoso. After retirement, he drove a school bus for Truth or Consequences Municipal School as a substitute bus driver and activities bus driver.
On July 19, 1966, Joe eloped with the love of his life, Sarah Lee Gates in Juarez, Mexico. When they returned his parents made them get married again “to make sure it was legal” in Belen, New Mexico on July 24, 1966. When they were dating, he tore a two-dollar bill in half and gave one-half of it to Sarah Lee. He carried the other half in his wallet and said when they were joined, they would be joined forever. However, Sarah Lee preceded him in death on April 8, 2014.
Joe loved to go elk bow hunting, and his prize six-by-six elk hangs proudly in the La Cocina restaurant in Truth or Consequences, NM. He also loved the mountains in the Gila Forest and was an avid fisherman. He had nine pecan trees in his backyard along the Rio Grande and took great pride in taking care of them. Joe was a man of few words, but he had a lot of wisdom and a great sense of humor. He loved to do woodworking, was a great mechanic, and remodeled many houses. One of his favorite things to do was help build and add on to churches. He drove a church Sunday School bus for many years, and he and Sarah Lee took countless children to church. He served as a church board member for many years and took his faith very seriously. Due to health reasons, Joe spent the last three years living in Pennsylvania with his daughter Karen Farkas and her family.
Joe is survived by his daughters Karen Farkas and her husband, Timothy, of Emlenton, PA; Amanda Brown and her husband, Monty, of Elephant Butte, NM; and Joye Hodgin of Ft. Worth, TX; his grandchildren Jonathan Nunn of West Palm Beach, FL; David Nunn and his wife, Brianna, of Alamogordo, NM; Victoria Hodgin of Truth or Consequences, NM; Amber Brown of Truth or Consequences, NM; Brooklyne Nunn of Prescott, AZ, Destiny Farkas of Middletown, PA and Daniella Farkas of Emlenton, PA; his great-grandchildren Annabelle and Cash Baldwin and Avianna and Felix Brown of Truth or Consequences, NM, and Julsee Nunn of Las Cruces, NM. Also, surviving are his siblings Ilene Hodgin and her husband, Charles, of Camp Verde, AZ, Lonnie Hodgin and his wife, Jonnie, of Lampasas, TX, and Ralph Hodgin and his wife, Kathy, of Lodi, CA and numerous nieces and nephews.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Harvey and Irene Hodgin, and his loving wife Sarah Lee Hodgin.
The family will receive friends from 9-11 a.m. Friday, February 4 at New Hope Revival Church, 800 East Third St., Truth or Consequences, NM 87901. A funeral service will follow from the church at 11 AM with the Rev. Charlie Sullivan, an Assemblies of God minister, officiating. Military honors will be held at the church following the funeral. The burial will be held at Round Top Cemetery near Mountainair, NM at 4 PM, with Joe’s son-in-law, the Rev. Timothy A. Farkas, pastor of Chapel on the Hill Assemblies of God in Emlenton, PA, officiating.
Contributions in memory of Joe can be given to Christ in Action which is a “Disaster Relief Organization Bringing Hope To America’s Families”. Use the giving link at www.chapelonthehillag.com or mail to Chapel on the Hill, 6202 Emlenton-Clintonville Rd., Emlenton, PA 16373.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Hile Funeral Home Inc. of Emlenton, PA, and the Kirikos Family Funeral Home in Truth or Consequences, NM.