1 Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms"

Neil Walter Hodges, P.E., 70, passed away peacefully to be with his savior on Thursday, March 3, 2022 while in Mesa, AZ after a brave battle with cancer.

Neil was born on May 9, 1951 in Estelline, SD to Joyce (Barstow) and Howard Hodges, the oldest of four brothers.  He spent his youth on the Hodges family farm in the Lake Preston, SD area, also excelling in sports, academics and vocal music. He graduated from Erwin High School in 1969.  He met and married the love of his life, Eileen (Tveidt) Hodges in 1971 while in college.  He graduated from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1973 with a Civil Engineering degree and started his career with Hormel in Austin, MN.  Engineering took him next to the state of Washington where he worked for Rockwell at the Hanford Nuclear Facility.  The pull of family brought him back to South Dakota to help operate the Tveidt family farm near Sturgis. He worked for the Forest Service and fought forest fires in the Black Hills National Forest for several years. He then joined the Veteran's Administration Hospital at Fort Meade as an Engineer and Project Manager where he proudly served his country's veterans until his retirement.

Following retirement, he split his time between grandchildren in South Dakota, grandchildren in Kansas and chasing the sunshine with friends in Mesa, AZ. He loved watching all of his grandkids' activities. He stayed busy with fishing, hunting, and golfing, traveling and seeing new sites via cruise ships, hosting Pierre Trapper baseball players during the summer and home remodeling and landscape care. He was active in church, especially the choir, and in the Lions Club where he was serving as Mesa-Fountain of the Sun Lions Club President at the time of his death.

He charmed his family and friends with his giving spirit, humor, and patience. He passed on his tremendous knowledge only when asked, whether it was coaching or advice in sports, teaching how to hunt, fish, or water ski, strategy playing cards, sharing car or home repair tips, or giving career advice to his children and other fellow engineers.

He is survived by his wife, Eileen; brother, Scott (Nancy) Hodges of Sioux Falls, SD; sister-in-law, Sue Hodges of Omaha, NE, daughter, Estell (Will) Johnson of Benton, KS; son, Darin (April) Hodges of Pierre, SD; grandchildren, Nick (Maggie) Stensaas, Erin, Emma, and Weston Johnson, Luke, Seth, and Zach Hodges; great-grandchildren, Cooper, and Tucker Stensaas; and numerous nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers, Brett, and Reid Hodges.

Memorials are being established thru Lions Club International Foundation, and First Congregational Church UCC - Pierre.

Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, 2022, at Kinkade Funeral Chapel with an inurnment to follow at Bear Butte Cemetery.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Mesa, AZ, within the Poolside Room at Fountain of the Sun from 3:30-5:30 pm on March 24, 2022.

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