Christopher Hodges Obituary

Christopher Allan Hodges, 72, of Plymouth, formerly of Needham and Fort Lauderdale died on February 11, 2025, at Toby Hospital in Wareham after a brief but courageous fight with cancer.  He was born November 9th, 1952, in Winchester MA to Claude and Margaret Hodges.  After graduating from Needham High School, Chris immersed himself in the marine business. He was employed at Bliss Marine in Dedham. While having spent summers on the ocean on both sail and motor craft, he started to research and design marine products.  

Having a keen engineering mind, Christopher patented and manufactured a unique marine product, The Smart Rail. He then founded and was president of Smart Marine Products Corporation and established a successful business with his father as his operational partner.  His products were sold all around the world.  Chris then moved to Fort Lauderdale and appeared at the large boat shows promoting and selling his product line. Being a seasoned and accomplished mariner, he obtained his USCG Captain's License while in Fort Lauderdale.

Chris moved back to Needham to help care for his terminally ill father until his death. He took jaunts with his mother to Gloucester and Hingham in search of the best “catch of the day” while frequenting thrift shops along the way.  He enjoyed spending time with his niece and nephew, taking them on fishing and boating trips and walking trails looking for treasures and small creatures in the woods.

He continued to enjoy boating on his cabin cruiser the “Mary O”, while spending many hours fishing and chatting with others in the boating community.

Later in life, he ultimately moved to Plymouth dedicating his efforts to volunteering at the Saint Vincent de Paul in Buzzards Bay, completing carpentry and painting projects. He assisted with grounds maintenance at the Saint Margaret’s of Scotland Church where he was an active parishioner. He joined the Knights of Columbus in Bourne making close associations and friends in that community.

Chris is survived by his mother, Margaret E Hodges, sister Pamela G Hodges, niece Nicole T Eskew, nephew Jonathan H Eskew and many other family members.

A funeral mass will be celebrated on March 29, 2025, at 11 AM in the Church of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Onset.  A private burial at Calvary Cemetery in Winchester is arranged. 

In lieu of flowers, Chris has requested that donations be made to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in memory of Christopher A Hodges and Claude R Hodges. RNLI is a registered charity based in Poole, Dorset, England that “saves lives at sea”.  In_memory@rnli.org.uk.

Services

Funeral Mass

Saturday
March 29, 2025
11:00 AM
St. Mary Star of the Sea
1 Onset Bay Lane
Onset, MA 02532