Hodge - Norma
February 13, 1922 — October 25, 2005
Norma Hodge, beloved mother and yogini, passed gently and gracefully into the Light on Tuesday October 25th from her home in Eagleview ECU, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Comox, BC.
Norma Easthom grew up on Gabriola Island and then became a nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital. In 1945 Norma married Dr. Bob Rhodes and eventually settled in Maple Ridge where she devoted herself to raising their five children: Arlene, Cathy, Rob, Bruce and Cam. In 1969, with the marriage ended, Norma returned to her nursing career and began to practice yoga. Norma traveled to India several times to train with BKS Iyengar in hatha yoga and to Yasodhara Ashram in Kootenay Bay, BC over several decades to work with Swami Sivananda Radha. Married to Peter Hodge in 1971, Norma taught yoga and continued to raise her younger sons, as well as her step-children Nick, Sarah, Penny & Susan Hodge.
Retiring with Peter to Gabriola, Norma became a respected teacher of yoga both on the Island and throughout BC. In spite of living with rheumatoid arthritis for the last 30 years of her life, Norma was determined to pass on what she had learned and maintained an active teaching schedule. After Peter’s death in 1989, Norma moved to Comox. No longer able to practice hatha yoga, Norma continued to teach kundalini and dream yoga to hundreds of local students from her home, designated in 1995 as Comox Radha Centre by Swami Radha.
Norma’s love and determination to serve extended beyond her own family and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren to many charities and to all who came in contact with her. She provided a model of selfless service for those whose lives she touched.
It’s not surprising that numerous people came forward to help Norma as she too needed support. Her family particularly thanks the staff of Eagleview ECU for their compassionate care of Norma over the past four years.
There will be a Celebration of Norma’s life on November 19th, at 1:00 pm in the Rotary Room of the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave. in Courtenay. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Light up the World Foundation (www.lutw.org) or to Yasodhara Ashram (www.yasodhara.org) in Norma’s memory.