Julya Rose Hodge

Julya Rose Hodge passed away March 22, 2022, in Plantation, Florida. She was born February 22, 1951, to Dr. J. Earle Hodge and Julia Rose Brailsford Hodge in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and grew up in nearby Cheraw. She graduated Cheraw High School and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, majoring in History and Russian Studies.

She married Sean O’Connor on November 29, 1975. They lived in various places on the East Coast before moving to Utah in 1986. She began her career as a chemist, working at Lundahl Astro Circuits, and then at Morton Thiokol where she took a great deal of pride in working on components for the Space Shuttle booster rockets. After working briefly for Hercules Aerospace, she began a decades-long career in the pharmaceutical industry with TheraTech, rising to a managerial position, where she supervised twenty chemists in an analytical Quality Control lab. She traveled the world validating her companies’ suppliers for FDA compliance, and she truly loved this aspect of her work.  She continued to grow in her career with positions at Sano and Elan, before retiring from Teva as a Senior Auditor.

While in Utah she volunteered in Cub Scouts as den mother and pack leader and served in leadership positions with Bountiful Community Church and The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. She made sure everyone felt welcome in their family home.

After retirement they purchased and rebuilt a lake house in Indiana where family and friends gather for floats, boats, and beers. Whether endeavoring to cook the perfect Indian curry, landscaping their house in Florida, or starting another remodeling project, she kept busy. She loved traveling, gardening, and playing with her grandchildren. She was always eager to attend live performances and taught herself to paint. She never met a stranger, and all will remember her infectious smile and outgoing personality.

She is survived by her husband Sean; two children: Julia Slaby (Travis); Sean David O’Connor (Blaire Skinner); two grandchildren Evelyn Rose Slaby and Connor Joseph Slaby; brothers Jay Earle Hodge Jr., John P Hodge (Cindy); sister Janice E Hodge (Kym Chafee); brother-in-law Ralph O’Connor (Didi); sisters-in-law Jane Stange (Patrick), and Noreen Able-O’Connor (Ted); and many cherished nieces, nephews, and friends.

Private family services were held.  The Family will gather to remember and celebrate her life later in the year.  In her memory donations may be made to Florida United Methodist Children's Home or Habitat for Humanity.

Cremation Arrangements entrusted to T. M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home