Russell C. Hodnett

There have been many great men who have walked amongst us and my
brothers and I were fortunate to be able to call one of them "Dad".
Russell Clair Hodnett most recently of Lockport, NY but formerly a long
time resident of Ithaca NY was born on January 5, 1919 and died on June
25,2015 at the Hospice House of Niagara County.
Rus was our own personal superman. He didn't believe in being idle and
he lived every day working in one capacity or another. He was born in
Fillmore, NY on the family farm. He was extremely proud of his farming
background developing award winning seed potatoes and it forever
shaped the" course of his life. Upon graduation at Fillmore High School in
1937, he attended Houghton College and then Cornell University for his
Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy. His time at Cornell was
interrupted by WWII. He enlisted in the Army in 1941 but after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor he went to Officers Training School in Texas.
Upon completion of OTS he was sent overseas in the Army's Heavy
Ordnance troops. He spent the entirety of the war in the European
theatre working his way up the ranks as he and his troops progressed
through French Morocco, Casablanca, Italy, Germany, France. He was
always very proud of the fact he and his troops directly supported
General Patton and he often regaled us with personal stories about his
time with Patton. At the end of his military career he was a Major in the
Army.
Just before Rus was sent over seas he met his future wife, Virginia
Sheppard, on a double blind date. They had a total of only two double
dates before he shipped out. Once over seas they began a letter writing
courtship that lasted throughout the duration of the war. He proposed to
Ginny by proxy while he was still overseas. Once he returned home after the war ended they were married in 1945. Their love story lasted for 67
years until Ginny's death in 2012.
Russell's career was extensive as he was never one to remain idle.
Initially after WWII ended he returned to Cornell University to complete
his Bachelor's Degree. He then started working for GLF (now known as
Agway). Next he was a County Agent for Cornell's Department of
I
Cooperative Extension in Warren County and then Jefferson County.
While in Jefferson County he returned to Cornell University to earn his
Master's Degree in Agriculture. In 1966 he moved to Ithaca NY to join
the faculty at Cornell in the Department of Cooperative Extension and
retired from there in 1975. Immediately following his first official
retirement he worked very successfully for a number of years for Dick
Posson Farm Real Estate out of Norwich NY and then another long stint
inspecting crops across New York State for Cornell. After that he worked
for 20 years as a Crises Consultant for troubled farmers in New York state
through FarmNet which is another division through Cornell University
Department of Cooperative Extension. Other than Rus' early beginning
on the family farm, his work with FarmNet was what he was most proud
of and found personally rewarding. He loved nothing more than working
hands on with all the farmers within the state. It is not an exaggeration
to say he has probably walked every crop at least once in the state. In
fact, car rides were impossible with him as there was no chance that he
wasn't going to constantly point out each crop and what that farmer was
doing right and most definitely what they were doing wrong. Late in life
he enjoyed immensely working side by side with his son Don in my
brother's custom fabricating business known is HotRod Road Cases.
After Don's unexpected and sudden death in 2001 and a short
interruption to regroup, Rus continued working with Hot Rod Road
Cases only this time along side one of his "bonus kids", Joe Fiore of
Trumansburg, who took the business over after Don's passing. In 2012
when his wife Ginny passed, Rus moved to Lockport, NY to live with his
daughter Sandra and son-in-law Erik Arden. During the 3 years he was
there he kept busy refinishing furniture in a workshop put together
specifically for him at the home of his granddaughter Tiffany and herhusband Michael Flynn. Even after his eyes started to go from macular
degeneration and he shared his car with his other granddaughter, Tianna,
he would be known to "escape" to his workshop by taking off down the
road on the lawn mower once I had turned my back. Rus was smart,
funny, stubborn as all get out, and a great teacher and fantastic role
model. He loved his family always and forever. He never turned his
back on anyone in need and the list was long with the names of those he
helped in one capacity or another throughout his lifetime. There wasn't
anything he wouldn't do for one of his children and grandchildren. He
was exceptionally proud of his son Gerry and especially so during recent
years with all the adjustments Gerry made with grace and dignity and
humor when our Dad was moved from the Ithaca area to Lockport.
Rus had many passions while living in addition to his love for all things
farming and his family. He was an avid gardener, hunter, fisherman and
wine maker. And as he was during his entire lifetime, he remained in his
final days ... obsessed with mowing the lawn. He always had to be the
first one to mow in the neighborhood every spring and heaven help you
if he saw you mow your own lawn incorrectly.
Russell was predeceased by his parents William and Fern Hodnett and his
brothers Charles Hodnett and Keith Hodnett, his wife Virginia Hodnett
and his son Donald Hodnett. He is survived by his son Gerald Hodnett of
Ithaca, "NY, daughter Sandra Arden and son-in-law Erik Arden of
Lockport NY, granddaughter Tiffany Flynn and her husband Michael
Flynn of Lockport NY, granddaughter Tianna Arden of Lockport, NY,
sister Wilma Voss of Norwich NY and many ~onderful nieces and
nephews which included a close lifetime mentoring relationship with his
nephew Elwyn Voss of Norwich, NY. He was a past member of the
Board of Directors at Cornell (CFCU) Community Credit Union,
Trumansburg American Legion Post #770, City Club of Ithaca, NY,
AGFU Society, Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca and All Saints
Roman Catholic Parrish in Lockport. Calling Hours for Rus will be held on Tuesday, June 30th at Bangs Funeral
Home in Ithaca NY from 11:00 to 1:00. The funeral service will follow at
Bangs beginning at 1 :00 with the burial immediately following at Frear
Memorial Park Cemetery on Hayts Road in Ithaca.
If you would like to make a memorial contribution in Russell's memory,
you may do so to the Russell C. Hodnett Scholarship Fund at New York
State FarmNet, 350 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 or to the Niagara
County Hospice House, 4675 Sunset Drive, Lockport, NY 14094 .