Harriet Guion Hodges

Harriet Guion Hodges

Harriet Guion Hodges, 81, of Roanoke, has sadly passed away.

Harriet was preceded in death by her parents, William Walton Hodges and Harriet Garrett Hodges; her younger brother, William Garrett Hodges; most recently by her beloved sister and best friend, Julia Hodges Williams; as well as her husband, Grover Cleveland "Buddy" Mitchell Jr. She is survived by her loving husband, Rex Edwards Wilkins.

Harriet was born in Newport News and raised on the family's Ridgefield Farm in Gordonsville, Va. She was a beautiful, enlightened and intelligent woman determined to experience life to the fullest and on her own terms. Harriet graduated from Orange County High School, Randolph Macon Women's College and received a master in English from the University of Virginia. She served on the English faculties of several colleges including those in Clifton Forge, Virginia and Prescott, Arizona.

She had an early and life-long love of horses. She enjoyed the farm and teaching her younger family members how to milk a cow, help birth cows, horses, and lambs, pluck chickens, garden, live off the land, bathe in a creek, work in the hay fields and ride a horse. She was skilled at woodworking, painting, playing the banjo and enjoyed bluegrass music. As an adult, her greatest pride was in her woodworking and writing. She made beautiful stools, Windsor chairs and hand turned bowls. She indexed, wrote and edited for Fine Woodworking, and several other publications. Harriet loved art and was an artist. Late in life she met Rex, an artist and retired architect. They supported each other emotionally as age took its toll. Many people in Harriet's neighborhood remember Harriet as a consummate walker, exploring her environment while out for a stroll with one of her Dobermans. A bad ankle kept her from continuing her competitive ballroom dancing and restricted those neighborhood journeys in her later years.

Rex would like to thank all those who volunteered to help with Harriet as he was in the hospital and could not personally be nearby.

Gifts of remembrance may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 355 Rio Road West, Suite 102, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Harriet described her pleasure in creating a fine Windsor chair saying, "The rewards of building Windsor chairs are sweet indeed. From logs, I create objects of beauty and utility, strong but graceful, steeped in tradition and destined to last generations." Harriet too will be remembered for her many strengths. She was beloved and made lasting impacts on the many people she knew. May she rest in peace.

Online condolences can be made by visiting the funeral home's website, www.johnmoakey.com.