By LOIS KINDLE
Few people, if any, in the South Shore community had greater impact on Veterans than Bill Hodges. When he passed away at the James A. Haley VA Hospital Dec. 20 due to heart failure, Veterans everywhere lost one of their staunchest supporters.
He was 84 years old.
“Bill Hodges was one of the first individuals I met when I came to the Tampa VA,” said David Dunning, executive director of the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital & Clinics. “He and I quickly became friends and shared a passion for taking care of Veterans.
COURTESY PHOTOS
WILLIAM N. HODGES
1940 – 2024
“There was no better advocate and educator for veterans than Bill,” he continued. “He used his Veteran’s Corner Radio program on behalf of all of us to highlight not only issues but also to advocate on behalf of the VA itself as the best, most comprehensive choice for Veteran care. He will be greatly missed.”
William Norman Hodges was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Nov. 30, 1940. He moved to the United States at age 12, attended Godwin High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
His served in the Air Force Strategic Air Command from 1959 to 1963, working on B-52s as a bomb navigation equipment specialist and then moving on to Armament and Electronics Analysis, where he created a charting program the SAC adopted worldwide. From there he went to Wing Training and developed skills that ultimately led him to his life’s calling, communicating and training others.
Hodges achieved the rank of E4, was honorably discharged and, eventually, rated with a 100% service-connected disability.
A 40-year resident of Ohio, he founded Hodges Seminars International in 1980 and spent his entire career as a professional speaker and seminar leader. In the early ’90s, he began writing a weekly syndicated column called “Positive Talk” to counteract some of the negative news found frequently in his community’s paper. At one point, his column was seen in 26 papers around the country.
After moving to Apollo Beach with his wife Phyllis in 1999, Hodges continued sharing messages of positivity through his column in The Observer News. The couple relocated to Sun City Center in 2006.
In 2015, he started and maintained the Veterans Photo Program for the Sun City Center Community Association. Photos of more than 900 veterans currently are displayed in the community’s Atrium building.
Three years later, to increase public awareness of Veterans and their benefits, he launched his Veterans Corner Radio program on Sun Radio WSCQ 96.3 FM. His years of experience navigating the VA system came in handy as he shared with Veterans the benefits and services they were entitled to and how to get them.
Bill Hodges and his wife, Phyllis, seen here enjoying a St. Patick’s Day event in Sun City Center, celebrated 25 years of marriage Dec. 12. Bill passed away eight days later due to heart failure at the James A. Haley VA Hospital.
In 2020, Hodges turned his radio program into a popular podcast heard in all 50 U.S. states and 28 countries around the world. The format attracted an even wider array of guests, including representatives of the VA in Washington, D.C., and national officers from groups like MOWW, MOAA, the American Legion, DAV and the VFW.
A member or honorary member of all these organizations, he also was part of Bob’s Vet’s, the Hillsborough County Veteran’s Council and the Sun City Center/South Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee.
Over the years, Hodges was recognized for his efforts through many honors and accolades. In recent years, they included
• Receipt of the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County Keeping the American Spirit Alive Award (2019).
• Service as emcee the grand opening of the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital outpatient clinic in Riverview (2019).
• Appearance in an introductory segment of a 2020 Veterans Day video for the hospital.
• Service as emcee for the retirement ceremony of the hospital’s director, Joseph Battle (2021).
• Service as emcee in a Vietnam Veterans Recognition Program sponsored by Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio (2021).
• Receipt of a Senior Connection Center annual Salt & Pepper Award in Arts and Entertainment (2022).
• Receipt of a 2nd Annual Congressional Veteran Commendation from Fla. Congressman Vern Buchanan for Veteran advocacy and community service (2024).
Sun City Center resident and Air Force Veteran Bill Hodges staunchly supported Veterans and their families through his Veterans Corner Radio program on SUN RADIO 96.3 FM for seven years and more recently a podcast bearing the same name.
Hodges is survived by Phyllis Hodges, his wife of 25 years, and their blended family, including son, Kenneth William “Chip” Hodges (Melissa), and daughter, Heather Ann Hodges; stepchildren, Alyn Scott Naylor, and Kandi Paige Perry (Steve); sister, Linda Kaylor (Steve); brother-in-law, Kenneth Owens (Geneva); six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
His former wife, Judy, predeceased him in August 2024.
Hodges Celebration of Life will take place at 10 a.m., Jan. 25, at Sun City Center Community Hall, 1910 Pebble Beach Blvd. S. He will later receive military honors in a ceremony at Sarasota National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests contributions be made to Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 110, 1910 Pebble Beach Blvd. S, Sun City Center, FL 33573.