John Hodgson

Madison - John B. "Jack" Hodgson, age 86, passed away peacefully at 1:30 PM on
Tuesday January 31, 2012 in the arms of his son while surrounded by family members at Meriter hospital after a brave struggle with cancer.

Jack was born in Madison on August 7, 1925, the son of John G. and Celia
(Tormey) Hodgson. In 1943 he graduated from Madison West High School and
joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. During the Second World War, Jack served in Europe with the 9th Airforce as a tail-gunner aboard a B-26 bomber flying 45 combat missions over Belgium, Germany, and France. His service during WWII included missions providing close air support during the Battle of the Bulge and the H�rtgen Forest. Following discharge from the service, Jack attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the GI bill, was employed shortly with the Milwaukee Road Railroad, Federal Foods, and then worked for many years for the Hudson Bay Fur Company as the manager of the company's Midwest operations. On June 22nd, 1957 he married Delores (Lori) Uttech and entered into a loving relationship he cherished throughout his life. Following his retirement in the 1980s he enjoyed refinishing and reselling antiques with Lori. Jack was known to all to have had a keen sense of humor and when he spoke of growing up with seven sisters he stated that he "didn't mind all of the hand-me-downs and the jackets that buttoned on the wrong side, but the high-heels were useless for playing football"! A highlight of his recent years came on November 12, 2011, when he was privileged to be aboard the Badger Honor Flight to Washington D.C. During their trip, he and 86 other Wisconsin WWII veterans were honored to be greeted by Senator Robert and Elizabeth Dole who were present as the vets arrived at the WWII Memorial. Jack told Senator Dole "You should have been president"; Bob responded with a smile and said "Yeah I thought so too". Jack was a lifelong fan of Badger athletics and Packer football. He enjoyed fishing and vacationing in northern Wisconsin, and above all, time spent with his beloved family.

Jack is survived by his wife, Lori; son, John G.; daughter-in-law,
Miriam; granddaughter, Melissa; sisters, Esther (John) Laugen, Virginia
(Henry) Olshanski and Donna (James) Kohl; and many nieces and nephews.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Alice (Pat)
Pahl, Helen (Joseph) Collins, Dorothy (Tony) Werth, and Betty (Tony)
Vickerman; his mother and father-in-law; and many close friends.
The family gives its sincere thanks to Kathleen Larsen for her loving care and friendship with Jack and to his niece Alice-Jane Wampole who supported him during his entire hospitalization and was with him when he passed away.
Funeral services will be held Sat., Feb. 4, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison.
Memorials in Jack's name may be made to Badger Honor Flight, P.O. Box 258066, Madison, WI. 53725