Steven Ernest Hodges, age 46, a native of Bradenton, Florida and a resident of Orange Beach, Alabama, passed away Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017.
Not many personalities can be dealt a life-changing hand and take it with such determination. Steve Hodges was a force of character. Paralyzed at 17 in an auto accident, Steve never wasted a single minute grieving the loss of his legs or regretting what could have been - instead he paved a road where otherwise there would have been none. For the last 30 years, Steve has met and mastered every dream.
After graduating Foley High School, Steve carried his love for the outdoors and wildlife to Auburn University where he received his BA in Wildlife Biology. During college, he also discovered a passion and extreme talent for water skiing from Camp ASCCA. He began competitive skiing which would later lead him to receive four World Disabled Waterski Championship Medals (one of which was a world record 23.5 meter jump) as well as five gold, four silver, and three bronze national medals. His water skiing competitions took him around the U.S. and all the way to London.
If Steve had a mission in life, it was to achieve as many experiences as could possibly fit into one lifetime. Once water skiing was mastered, he took on a large tract of land to manage for timber and wildlife for 10-plus years outside of Union Springs, Alabama.
He toggled his time and responsibilities in land management with a permanent residency in Key West, where he first lived on his boat at Key West Harbor, America's Southernmost Marina, to purchasing a home and becoming a boat captain and SCUBA dive master.
Life called, and Steve moved into the next chapter of his journey with a move to Telluride, Colorado. Not only did he master double black diamond ski slopes, but also taught other disabled skiers to stretch their boundaries.
As a resident of Telluride, Steve was one of the founding board members of Go Hawkeye Foundation, an organization focused on enabling adaptive athletes and promoting the benefits of outdoor recreation and sports especially for people living with a disability.
Steve's passion for traveling took him around the world, from Antarctica to Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy and dozens of other countries. His travels also included nearly every corner of the states, from motorcycle riding through Yellowstone to traversing the rainforest in Washington.
He was an avid reader and the go-to resource from car parts to gourmet cooking to identifying the species of that bird that just flew by. His personality was magnetic and he left an incredible impression on friends he made around the world.
As a son, brother, and uncle, Steve was always the taproot of the family tree.
Steven is survived by his parents, Sheila Hodges of Gulf Shores, Alabama and his father, Ernie Hodges of Summerdale, Alabama; two sisters, Jeannie (Robbie) Jaeger of Fairhope, Alabama, Michelle (Jeffrey) Nelson of Foley, Alabama; one brother, Clint (Fernanda) of Daphne, Alabama; one adopted son, Zachery Hodges of Key West Florida; one niece; four nephews; a host of other loving relatives and friends.
The Go Hawkeye Foundation will be setting up a scholarship in Steve's name. Anyone who wishes to contribute to this incredible organization, of which Steve was a founding member, can go to www.gohawkeye.org, or mail a check to P.O. Box 1132, Telluride, CO 81435.
Arrangements by Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc., 19698 Greeno Road, Fairhope, AL 36532, 251-990-7775, www.wolfefuneralhomes.com.
