TRENTON
James (Jim) Wesley Hodgkins, 85, died at home on Feb. 3, 2020. He was born Aug. 29, 1934, in Trenton, where he was a lifelong resident. He was the youngest of seven children of Laurence W. and Mary (Royal) Hodgkins.
Jim graduated from Ellsworth High School, Class of 1952. He then served in the U.S. Navy and completed a world tour on the U.S.S. Hornet. On New Year’s Eve 1959, he started the decade off by marrying Susan Reynolds of Lamoine and moving into the family house on the Bar Harbor Road (built by his great-grandfather) that would be home for the next 60 years.
He retired from the State Highway Garage in Ellsworth in 1991 and since then had spent much time on his favorite things — fixing up his 1931 Ford Model A “Woody,” driving his tractors, cutting firewood for the wood-burning furnace and playing with his grandchildren. There was very little he couldn’t do as a home handyman.
Jim is survived by his wife, Susan; daughter Cheryl Harrison and husband, Ed, of Leesburg, Va.; son Nicholas Hodgkins and partner Laura Madsen of Gorham; and grandchildren, James Harrison and wife, Elizabeth, Juliet Harrison and Eben Hodgkins and partner Bella Tait. He is also survived by a brother-law, Joe Reynolds; two sisters-in-law, Maureen Hodgkins and Jane Garceau; as well as many nieces and nephews. A special thank you to his nephew and wife, Jeff and Linda Hodgkins, for all of their help over the years. He was predeceased by his parents and siblings.
A graveside service will be held at Forest Hill Cemetery in Lamoine at a later date. Donations may be made in Jim’s memory to Friends in Action, P.O. Box 1446, Ellsworth, ME 04605 (note Rock Steady Boxing Program).
Condolences may be expressed at www.acadiacremation.com.