Vera Ruth Bodle Obituary
Owned the 1808 House
17 May, 1911 - 1 April, 2016
Vera Ruth Bodle
A Long and Extraordinary Life (1911 – 2016)
Vera Ruth Bodle was born to Arthur and Mary Etta Hotchkiss in cedar log ranch house on her family’s cattle ranch near the Powder River in Moorhead, Montana on May 17, 1911. There was no town or doctor within two hundred miles so her first companions were her 3 older brothers and 2 older sisters and the cowboys.
She lived on the Ranch as a child until the family moved to California in 1924 where she spent summers on the beach, graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1929 and University of Redlands in 1933. In 1933, she also married her first husband, Floyd Hobelman. They had one daughter Thelma. With Floyd’s untimely passing in 1939, Vera moved to Imperial Valley, CA to teach and met and married her second husband, Lt. Hollis Hammond.
After the war, they bought 1808 House (an historical inn) in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. Due to concerns about the chefs, Vera took over the kitchen and made a name for the Inn based on their fine food! Vera and Hollis sold the Inn in 1957 and managed hotels in Death Valley - the Furnace Creek Inn, the Grand Canyon – the El Tovar, and an Inn at Mount Rainier. In 1962, she moved to Sun City, CA where she and Hollis were divorced due to the strain of managing hotels and Vera’s desire to return to teaching, which she did at Lake Elsinore Public Schools.
In 1969, Vera married Mr. Melvin Bodle, an avid golfer and 40-year Western Electric employee. Vera retired after 18 years of teaching, and Vera and Mel spent their retirement traveling and playing golf. In between trips, Vera ran large golf tournaments for her group. Mel passed away in 1996.
In 2001, Vera moved to Tucson, AZ to be near her daughter, Thelma. After Thelma’s husband passed in 2002, Thelma and Vera moved to Loveland, CO at which time Vera took up residence at the Wexford. Thelma passed away from a prolonged bout with cancer on Easter Sunday 2008.
After 14 years at the Wexford quilting, doing puzzles, and caring for (or being cared for) by her cat Monet, Vera passed peacefully in her apartment with her family present on the evening of April 1, 2016; one week after Easter Sunday.
Vera is survived by her beloved feline companion Monet, many great friends and acquaintances; two grandsons in Colorado, a Granddaughter in Philadelphia, PA and Mel’s children in California; as well as 10 great-grand-children who loved her dearly.
A celebration of her full and extraordinary life will be held at the Wexford (1515 West 28th Street, Loveland, CO) on May 28, 2016 at 1:00 PM, All are welcome to share memories and stories. Condolences and flowers can be sent to the Wexford prior to the ceremony. Per her wishes, donations in her honor can be sent to the Fort Collins Cat Rescue located at 2321 E. Mulberry St., Units 1 & 9, in Fort Collins, CO 80524.
Fun Vera Facts:
• She has a CA driver’s license with only 4 Digits! (as of 1998, there were 8 Digits)
• While at the Grand Canyon, a trail mule was named after her. Vera the mule took tourists up and down the Grand Canyon trails for years!
• Vera’s parents are interred at the Hollywood Cemetery, just down the row from Rudolph Valentino!
• Vera recounts riding the bus on the way to work in Hollywood CA with Gloria Stewart from the Titanic Movie.
• Although always an avid knitter and sewer, Vera started quilting at about 80 years old as a way to keep her hands occupied while quitting smoking. She utilizes bright colors, various stitching techniques and unique printed fabric to create her custom designs. She has spent her last 20 years creating over 200 different quilts! Selected quilts will be displayed starting June 3, at the
Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising
216 E Lake St, Room 131B
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1574
Photos:
https://djrimaging.smugmug.com/Proofs/Proofs-Vera-Bodle-Quilter-at/n-dgRJbD/
Videos:
Loveland Broncos Fever
104 year old Quilt Maker
Articles:
http://www.reporterherald.com/news/loveland-local-news/ci_24930745/senior-kingpins-at-work-loveland
Fort Collins Cat Rescue and Shelter:
https://www.fccrsnc.org/
1808 Inn
James Roger diary entry
22nd June 1913
Fair and moderately warm; wind variable. "Children's Day "at church. The W.R.C. presented the Sabbath School children with a flag. I was not feeling well, so I was not at church nor evening service. No S. S. Today.
And the 1808 was THE place to be as far as I was concerned as a kid. It was so big and full of activity. Cars arriving with out-of-state license plates. Delivery trucks. Big doings.
I remember the dances in the barn to the left of the 1808 House, because as we drove past I saw the lights on and heard the music. It looked like so much fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vera was involved in those.