Kenneth L. Hodgkinson

Springfield - Kenneth Lee (Cotten) Hodgkinson of Springfield, Oregon peacefully left this world on December 4 surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Murna; his children Sherri Pinkerton, Sally Hunt, Kathy Heater, Kelly Hodgkinson and Darcy Fisher; ten grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; and a half brother, James Cotten. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Don and Darryl, and his half-sister Karen.

He was born on October 23, 1936 in Seattle, Washington to Dorothy and Truman Cotten. He lived most of his life in Lane County.

Ken graduated from Eugene High School in 1955 and served in the US Army Reserves for eight years. He also attended classes at the University of Oregon. During this time he started working at Firestone in an entry-level position; after 30 years he retired as Firestone's West Coast Area Manager. During this time he was Firestone National Sales Champion, making the largest sale in Firestone's history to the largest independent tire dealer in the United States. After he retired from Firestone, he went on to sell real estate for 10 years. While on an RV trip, Ken and Murna discovered the Palm Springs area and the wonderful life and activities of snow birding, doing this for 19 years. In 1987 Ken and Murna started walking the Butte-to-Butte and he participated in the event until 2022. A Butte-to-Butte tradition of four generations of family still continues. Ken needed to keep busy doing projects and woodworking -- always heading to Jerry's. He was exceedingly proud of his family and loved spending time with them.