Betty Sue Hodges

Betty Sue Hodges (Duckworth)

1941-2023

Betty Sue Hodges, better known as Susie, passed away at 81 years young on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at Dallas Regional Medical Center. A proud Texas-native, she was born to the late F D and Winnie Duckworth of Sunnyvale on May 28, 1941.

She married the love of her life, Charles Lowell Hodges, on January 7, 1961. Together, they shared two children, Connie, and Kyla, and spent their time bowling, fishing, and enjoying family activities and gatherings until Charles lost his long and hard-fought battle to lung cancer on January 15, 1984.

Throughout her life, Susie accomplished many impressive feats. She was a skilled beautician and owned beauty shops in Mesquite, Texas when her children were young. In the late 1970s, she moved to Athens, Texas with Charles where they purchased a small grocery store/marina and home on the lake. Together, they quickly learned to manage the marina, which included bringing to life a variety of specialty menu items, such as burgers and beans, BLTs, and country breakfast, for loyal guests, overseeing the store's operations, and patrolling the lake. After Charles passed and Susie became a widow, she moved to Garland, Texas to start the next chapter of her life where she lived for several years before spending 30+ years in Royse City, Texas where she personally maintained over two acres of property. There, you could find her spending entire weekends on her riding lawn mower, planting flowers, and creating her grandchildren's favorite place for adventures.

Susie was kind, witty, resourceful, generous, determined, hard-working, resilient, loving, and loyal. Although she had faced many challenges, such as losing her husband, quadruple bypass surgery, double knee replacement, and going blind because of macular degeneration, she held her head up high and continued to build a life for herself that she cherished. Susie returned to Mesquite in 2018 and spent her final years close to family in a city she loved and where she had raised her children. She was dedicated to Inspiration Church, also known as Mimosa Lane, where she was part of a body of Believers who supported one another through fellowship and hospitality - the same place where she had introduced her children to her faith. She loved the Golden Girls, John Wayne movies, being the Texas Rangers' biggest fan, cooking, baking, tending to her garden, sharing memories with loved ones, and, most of all, her family. Of the many titles she held throughout her life - skilled beautician, successful business owner, Walmart Employee of Many Months, beloved school bus driver - her favorite titles were undoubtedly wife, mother, sister, and Gramy, and Babushka.

She is preceded in death by her parents, F D and Winnie, and her beloved husband, Charles Lowell Hodges. She is survived by her siblings, Shirley Roberts (and brother-in-law Lloyd Roberts), Jo Perkins (and brother-in-law Ron Perkins), Tiny Gerken (and late brother-in-law Richard Gerken), Evelyn Wortham (and late brother-in-law Michael Wortham), and Lee Duckworth (and sister-in-law Peggy Duckworth); her daughters, Connie Renfrow (and former son-in-law Dennis Renfrow) and Kyla Wheeler (and son-in-law Jason Wheeler); her grandchildren, Charlee Marks, Andy Enloe, Ali Lang (and grandson-in-law David Lang), Mary Brown (and grandson-in-law Sean Brown), Tripp Renfrow, and Aaron Renfrow; her great-grandchildren, Cayden Marks, Gabriel Enloe, Dean Taylor, Wyatt Renfrow, Logan Thomas, and her first great-granddaughter on the way; and many other loved ones from family members to friends to neighbors.

A funeral service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday, February 13th at New Hope Funeral Home in Sunnyvale, Texas. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. where flowers and condolences may be offered. Additionally, a personal gathering for family and close friends will follow at Susie's home at 6:00 p.m.

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