Lawrence Gary Hodgin

Lawrence Gary Hodgin, 73, of Lexington, died Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, after a courageous battle with cancer. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Ashland United Methodist Church, 2600 Ashland Road, Columbia, S.C. 29210, with the Rev. Scott Efrid, Rev. Bob Borom, and Rev. Reggie Rowell officiating. Afterwards, the Hodgin family will host a gathering for family and friends at the church Ashland Hall. A private family interment will take place at Woodridge Memorial Park at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Hodgin was born on March 28, 1949, in High Point, N.C. The eldest son of the late Lawrence Gaskins Hodgin and Margie Wagner Hodgin, he was a graduate of Wade Hampton High School in Greenville. He followed in his father's footsteps by serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He later attended Newberry College and then worked for 17 years as a procurement officer for the S.C. Department of Corrections. In his youth, Mr. Hodgin joined the Boy Scouts and was elected to the Order of the Arrow. He was a competitive swimmer who excelled at freestyle. He served as a member of DeMolay International, an organization dedicated to inspiring leadership in young men 12 to 21. Mr. Hodgin sang in the youth choir at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church in Greenville, and as an adult, he raised his tuneful tenor voice at Ashland and with the Palmetto Mastersingers, performing in the United States and Europe at venues that included St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Mr. Hodgin was also an avid golfer and a lifelong lover of fast cars. Mr. Hodgin willed himself to survive until the day of his 50th wedding anniversary. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Linda Cannon Hodgin; sons, John Thomas Hodgin (Betsy) of Lexington, and Michael Lawrence Hodgin (Phoebe) of Atlanta; brothers, Richard Hodgin (Charity) of Raleigh, N.C., and Scott Hodgin (Mary) of Lexington; and grandchildren Madeline Shealy (Bryson) and Taylor Hodgin. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Doug Hodgin. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Oliver Gospel Mission.