Edward Dunn Hodge, 91, retired Circuit Judge for Audrain County, passed away on December 12, 2024, in Columbia, Missouri.

Judge Hodge was born on May 31, 1933, in Aledo, Illinois, the third child of Edward Clark Hodge and Catherine Dunn Hodge. He grew up in Kirkwood, Illinois, where his father was a school principal.  Ed was a graduate of Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, receiving his degree in business administration.  He then attended Washington University School of Law and earned his Juris Doctor in 1958.

Following law school, Ed was drafted into the Army, stationed first at Fort Leonard Wood and then at a base in Oklahoma, where he worked in the legal office. A colonel on the base persuaded him to take a commission as a first lieutenant, the first step toward becoming a military Judge Advocate General.  The Army then sent him to a judges' school in Virginia, where he met a charming graduate student named Leta May Tucker. They married on February 25, 1961, and would later have three daughters, Susan, Rebecca and Elizabeth, and five grandchildren.  In the early days of their marriage, Hodge served as an Army prosecutor on Governor's Island in New York City, prosecuting a wide variety of offenses involving soldiers.

Following his stint in the Army, Hodge began searching for work as an attorney. His parents drew his attention to Mexico, Missouri, where Hodge's father was employed with the Missouri Military Academy.   Ed accepted a position with the Edwards, Wright and Seigfreid law firm.  He practiced law with the firm for 15 years, eventually becoming partner and seeing the firm name change to Seigfried, Runge & Hodge.  In 1968, Hodge was one of only two recipients of the prestigious Lon O. Hocker award, presented to young lawyers who "exemplify the qualities of a trial lawyer, including professionalism and high ethical conduct."

In 1976 Hodge was elected to the office of Circuit Judge for Missouri's 12th Judicial Circuit, covering Audrain, Montgomery, and Warren counties, a position he held for the next 25 years until he retired in 2001.  Retirement allowed him more time to pursue his artistic hobbies, which evolved from his courtroom days of doodling the faces of lawyers on yellow legal pads to painting rustic landscapes and portraits. His paintings of local attorneys and judges have been displayed at the Audrain County courthouse.

Ed was a valued member of First Presbyterian Church, where he served as elder, deacon, and Sunday school teacher.  He was a lifelong lover of baseball and spent many summer hours serving as an umpire and, later, chasing errant softballs while playing catch with his daughters.  He enjoyed reading, gardening and tending to his fish pond.

Judge Hodge was preceded in death by his wife, Leta Tucker Hodge, his daughter Rebecca Hodge Dubbert, his brother, Thomas Hodge, and his sister, Jeanne Hodge Spring. He is survived by daughters Susan Hodge (David) Slavney and Elizabeth Hodge (David) Weber, son-in-law Jeff Dubbert, grandchildren Jacob Dubbert, Adam (Victoria) Slavney, Matthew Slavney, Max Weber, and Hanna Weber, and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at First Presbyterian Church in Mexico, Missouri.  Visitation is from 1:00-2:00 at the church.  In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Judge Hodge may contribute to the First Presbyterian Church or to the Becky Dubbert Memorial PTK Scholarship Fund, Colorado Northwestern Community College Foundation.  Contributions may be sent in care of Arnold Funeral Home, 425 South Jefferson Street, Mexico, Missouri, 65265.