Troy Hodges

Troy Dean Hodges, 76, of Soldotna and Phoenix, Ariz., died Feb. 28, 2010, at Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix. With friends and family at his side, Troy ended a long and brave battle with cancer. He will be sorely missed.

A service will be at 1 p.m. today at Mountain View Lutheran Church, followed by a celebration of life in the Family Life Center at the church. A second gathering will be March 26 at the Kenai Masonic Lodge. Call 480-705-7676 for details.

Born March 30, 1933, in Wink, Texas, Troy had a lifelong love of flying and traded work for flying lessons at an early age. He soloed on his 15th birthday and flew for more than 62 years.

In 1959, Troy drove to Alaska to seek his fortune, and braved a long and mostly unpaved road to an uncertain future. Troy worked the oil fields on drilling rigs and saved up enough money to buy his first plane, for which he paid $1,200. He supplemented his income, on his time off, flying hunters as a bush pilot. When a big earthquake hit Alaska in 1964, the roads were rendered impassable. In response to this, Troy bought a six-place Piper Cherokee and founded Soldotna Air Service. Later, this business grew into Troy Air, based in Anchorage. While operating Troy Air, he amassed a large fleet of planes and also built the largest privately owned hangar in Alaska.

Troy was an avid hunter and fisherman and, to this end, flew clients, friends and family all over Alaska. He retired in 1989 and spent the winters at his home in Phoenix. Alaska was always his "real" home, and he enjoyed visiting with friends and family both in Alaska and in Phoenix.

Troy always liked to say that great friends were better than great riches.

In this respect, he was a very blessed man. Troy was a 32nd degree Mason and a life member of the Kenai Lodge and a proud Jester and member of Jesters On Wheels. As a Shriner he became an accomplished balloonist and often left a balloon animal for the amusement and delight of children, waitstaff and perfect strangers.

A longtime member of the Lone Star Ski club, Troy was an accomplished skier. He loved the sport and the people he met while skiing, and once spent 43 days skiing in one season.

A love of travel took Troy all over the world. Being a people person, he immersed himself in his host country's culture and made friends wherever he traveled, and, of course, left a telltale trail of balloons with the children he met.

His family wrote: "Flying his 'Cub,' diving, skiing, hunting, entertaining, clowning around, no matter the activity, Troy approached it all with his contagious enthusiasm for life. He said many times, 'When I'm gone, tell 'em I got every second out of it.' Wow, did he ever!"

Troy was proceeded in death by his first wife, Norma; son, Dean; parents, Jennie and O.M. Hodges; and brother, H.L. Hodges.

Troy is survived by his wife, Cecile; his daughter, Diane Hodges of Soldotna; son, Ross "Tiger" Hodges and fiancee Regi of Phoenix; stepdaughter and her husband, Angela Boomer and Terry; and grandson, Timmy, all of Canton, Ga.; stepdaughter, Krissy Rowell; granddaughters, Kailynn and Hallie of Beaumont, Texas; and brother, Nathan Hodges of Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Troy's memory are suggested to Hospice of the Valley Sherman Home or the American Cancer Society.