Susan Catherine Hodder

Hodder, Susan Catherine Having lived vibrantly and courageously with pancreatic cancer for nearly 6 years, Susan died peacefully on March 21, 2021 with her family & loyal Golden, Banjo, at her side. Susan earned degrees in Elementary Education and Art, and then devoted her life to encouraging & teaching others, as a youth coordinator, teacher, afterschool enrichment & summer camp director, ski & snowboard instructor, Alpine Adaptive supervisor and Adaptive Ski & Snowboard Training Director. She possessed a genuinely exceptional spirit and made the most of her 59 years of life. Susan learned the importance of volunteering from her mom, Suzanne, and took that passion to a whole new level. Susan volunteered nearly 15,000 hours over 40 years: brightening the days of kids with cancer, building homes for the homeless, and teaching adaptive skiing, snowboarding, waterskiing, cycling, & sailing to kids and adults alike. Recognized as a "once in a lifetime volunteer" by Courage Kenny, Susan won the Pearl Hall award, the Malcolm Mackey Tree of Life award and an annual award created in her honor, the Susan Hodder Volunteer of Excellence award. Having volunteered for over 15 years at the Winter Ski Clinic for Disabled Veterans in addition to her CK adaptive work, Susan won the national 2019 Jim Winthers Volunteer Award for life-time contributions in furthering the mission of Disabled Sports USA. Susan's tremendous satisfaction in giving to others kept her going during life's challenges, especially the last 6 years. In 2018, she said, volunteering "is where I made all my dearest friends, whether they are participants, volunteers, or employees. They are the best people. I cherish each & every one of them." Susan was equally passionate about her family, friends & outdoor activities, preferably combining those loves while traveling the world or spending summers at her favorite place, the cabin. A beloved aunt, she led games at 4th of July parties, hunted for agates, built forts & sand volcanoes, & made comic books, documenting every experience with great pictures. Susan took her nieces and nephews sailing, fishing, tubing & skiing, cheered them on at games & musicals, and loved them without limit. Her niece, Maya, wrote, "You have led by example, and watching how you live your life with compassion, spontaneity & friendship has made me aspire to do as fulfilling things as you always have. So many of my formative memories are with you. I wouldn't be who I am today without you and, after hearing literally anyone who knows you talk about you for 5 seconds, you can tell they feel the same." Susan adored & was adored by her parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins, always up for an adventure, a new project, a sunset pontoon cruise, or a trip to anywhere, especially to ski out West. Following her pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2015, and despite increasingly debilitating symptoms, Susan lived life to the fullest, pursuing volunteering, work, travel, & fun, with courage, grit, and enthusiasm, with friends & family by her side. Susan will be cherished and remembered forever by her father, William Hodder, brothers, Kent (Judy) & Mark (Serene) Hodder, sisters, Laurie (Ed) Greeno & Beth (Michael) Whitcomb, her nieces & nephews (Abby, Alan, Annie, Bobby, Christopher, Drew, Jonathan, Lexi, Maya, Mike, Nick, Will), aunts, uncles & cousins, and her huge network of devoted friends. Susan's wonderful mom, Suzanne Hodder, has undoubtedly met Susan with open arms, likely having already planned some new adventures & good works. Special thanks to Dr. Anne Blaes & the M Health Fairview Oncology team, Fairview Hospice, and Sheila Schultz & her staff for their amazing care. We will celebrate Susan's life when it's safe to gather, hopefully this summer. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Courage Kenny Ski & Snowboard at allinahealth.org/Give2CourageKenny (select Adaptive Ski and Snowboard from Give To drop down menu. Or mail to: Courage Kenny Foundation, Adaptive Ski/Snowboard, 3915 Golden Valley Rd, Mpls, MN, 55422 ) or to U of MN Masonic Cancer Center at cancer.umn.edu (select Donate from drop down menu & then MCC Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. Or mail to U of MN Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Research, P.O. Box 860266, Mpls, MN 55486-0266).