Minister’s wife was a persistent social activist
QUINCY — On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, Constance “Connie” Hodgkins passed from our world to the next for a reunion in eternity with her beloved husband George and youngest child Mark. She lived over 95 very fulfilling, busy, and love-filled years, leaving behind a grieving family, but a family thankful that she’s now in a better place, where her weakening physical life on earth doesn’t matter. She leaves behind 5 surviving children, 10 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
Over her long life, she accomplished much more than just raising six kids and serving her husband’s four churches as a minister’s wife. She excelled in school (even skipping grade 3!), graduated Quincy High School at age 16 in the Class of 1943, went to secretarial school, batted lead-off on a softball team post-college (the “Bombar-dears”) in the Boston Park League, and helped her eventual husband lead a church youth group. Throughout her life, she was quite the persistent social activist and was involved in numerous humanitarian and religious causes: Church Women United (as Ecumenical Action Coordinator for Massachusetts), Interfaith Social Services, Heifer Project International (for which George served as a “cowboy” one summer in 1959), Habitat for Humanity, UCC Pilgrim District Women, the Mass. Council of Churches, Project Bread, Bread for the World, the City Missionary Society of Boston, League of Women Voters, and Women’s Service League of Connecticut, just to name a few.
Connie also survived several years of family camping throughout the Northeast and Canada from the 50’s through the 70’s, which with 6 kids was quite the challenge! Later in life, she and George were able to do more traveling, including among other locations Bermuda, the Holy Land, and a cross-country road trip to California to meet their first grandchild, Jennifer.
Connie is lovingly survived by her children Donald and wife Faith of Wakefield, Carol and husband Paul Leonard of Quincy, Wendie and husband Peter Salisbury of Sharon, Robert and wife Linda of Weymouth, and Forrest and wife Helena Sylvester of Harvard; also, her grandchildren Thomas and wife Kaity Ryan, Allyson and husband Aaron Bush, Amanda and husband Mark Giovino, Phillip Salisbury, Timothy and wife Courtney Salisbury, Benjamin and wife Jessica Hodgkins, Danielle and husband Benjamin Gilde, Amber and husband James Gardner, Lauren Torbett, Bhavani Hodgkins, Anjani and husband TJ Rose, 9 great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Connie was predeceased by her parents George and Dorothy Forrest, husband Rev. George Hodgkins, son Mark, and granddaughter Jennifer.
Visiting Hours will be held on Saturday, September 24 at Hamel-Lydon Chapel, 650 Hancock St., Quincy from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A Celebration of Life will take place in Quincy Point Congregational Church 444 Washington St., Quincy on Sunday, September 25 at 2:00pm. The family would appreciate any donations desired in her name be directed to Interfaith Social Services in Quincy or the City Missionary Society of Boston.
For more information or to leave online condolences, please visit HamelLydon.com
