Gustavine “Carol” Vanderwilde Hodkiewicz
Ellsworth
Gustavine “Carol” Vanderwilde Hodkiewicz passed away peacefully on June 10, at Seaport Village in Ellsworth. She was 94. Carol was born in Java, Indonesia, on Nov. 19, 1924, to Peter and Gustavine (Mehlbaum) Vanderwilde. Her father was a successful Dutch businessman involved in the import/export market. Her childhood was interrupted by WWII and the occupation of Indonesia by Japanese forces in 1942. Carol and her siblings spent over three years in a Japanese prison camp in Java. Despite the hardships they endured, all the siblings survived, and were liberated at the end of the war and sent to Holland. She continued her interrupted education and became a schoolteacher. She later returned to Sumatra, Indonesia, and taught at an American oil camp, in the town of Rumbai, where she met and married Walter Hodkiewicz. Their adventure continued with the birth of two sons, John in 1957 and Paul in 1964. The family was transferred to Tripoli, Libya, in 1966 and eventually settled in New Jersey in 1970. Carol spent her time raising her sons, visiting New York City and traveling to visit relatives. In the mid-1980s, she became a certified home health care worker and worked for about 10 years. Following the death of her husband in 2011, she moved to Ellsworth in 2013 to be near family, and loved living in Maine till her passing.
Carol is survived by her sons John and wife, Kristy, Paul and wife, Melinda, grandchildren Ashley, Kayla, Sarah, Sam, Jessica and Lauren, great-grandson Julian and godson Alex. She will also be missed by her extended family in Holland, Spokane Wash., Perth, Australia, and central New Jersey. Our family would also like to acknowledge the love and caring help provided by the staff of Seaport Village Assisted Living Facility for the last 2½ years. The staff and volunteers of Hancock County Hospice were also a wonderful source of comfort and support during the last week of her life.
Any donations in her name can be made to Friends in Action, Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County or the SPCA.
A memorial service will be held in New Jersey in the fall.