Carolyn Elizabeth Hodges

Mrs. Carolyn Elizabeth Buford Hodges, wife ofHon. Thomas L. Hodges, III, passed away April 26, 2020. Beth was born in Augusta on January 14, 1949 to Carolyn Harrell Buford (Mosteller) and William Hal Buford, Jr., of Ellenton, South Carolina.She grew up in North Augusta, SC with her mother and her grandparents, Dr. and Mrs. H.P. Harrell, Sr.She was an only child and the last member of both families. Beth was a loving mother to five children:Brian (Heather) Jones of Anderson, S.C., Leigh (Terra) Hodges of Athens, GA., Libby (Melissa) Hodges of N. Augusta, S.C., Thomas (Amber) Hodges of Cumming, GA, and Pierce (Stephane) of Reston, VA.She is survived by eleven grandchildren: Colin and Rhiannon Jones, Trevor and Mason Collins, Hank, Moira, Carolyn, Quin, Bobby, Emory and Cole Hodges. Beth worked at Southern Bell in Augusta for thirteen years before moving to Elberton with her husband, Tom, where he practiced law.She was an active member of many civic organizations in Elberton, but when twins, Thomas and Pierce were born, she took a break from civic activities to care for the growing family.During this time, Beth learned to sew.As her family grew, she began a small business making window treatments working alone and at home in what spare time she could find between children’s activities.As the children got older, the business grew also, and Beth took opportunities to learn her trade by attending classes offered at trade shows around the country.Eventually, she qualified for every certification available to someone in the window coverings industry and became a champion for education of people entering the industry.Through a chance meeting, she met Cheryl Strickland who was establishing a school to train others about window coverings, and Cheryl hired Beth as instructor.Beth continued to work as a lead teacher for seventeen years in addition to growing her business in Elberton.She became a lecturer, featured speaker, and taught classes across the country for many years and has visited every state but three.In 2014 Beth was named the Education Director for DoFix USA and traveled presenting seminars and doing private training for the German based company.Beth served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Window Coverings Association of America and as its president for two terms.She continued to present seminars at international events, trade shows, trade schools and universities throughout her working life. Beth loved to travel, especially with her friends Sandra Fortson and Sue Cone, and visited many others countries and enjoyed learning their histories.Medieval history fascinated her and she loved to read about European history, but also enjoyed books on all subjects.She always had one book to read and one to listen to while she was in the car.She loved to discuss the books she read, and always had a long reading list.It was always a joy for her to find a fellow reader. The Ladies who worked at Soft Furnishings over the years meant an awful lot to Beth.The family would like to thank particularly Gail Maness, Carolyn Snellings, Susan Lee, Sue Hall and Millie Stovall as well as many other employees who came through the doors of Soft Furnishings. Beth considered the members of the First Methodist Church, especially the choir and the Cross-Talk Sunday School Class as her family and loved them dearly.Her friendships with the members of Beta Sigma Phi were treasured, and she was extremely proud of the friendships and mutual respect that she held with former fellow instructors and attendees all over the country. A celebration of the beautiful life of Beth Hodges will take place on Monday, November 23, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at the Forest Hills Memorial Park Mausoleum, with Rev. Jim McCollough officiating. Masks are suggested, or you may remain in your vehicle. In honor of Beth’s love for colorful clothes, her daughters request that those attending dress in colorful attire.The family requests no flowers, as your presence is enough. Memorials may be made to Elberton First Methodist Church, 132 E. Church St., Elberton, GA 30635 or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 Hicks Funeral Home & Cremation Services are respectfully in charge of arrangements for Mrs. Carolyn “Beth”Hodges.