April 15, 1956 – February 23, 2025
Marcia Hodgson lived an invested life, putting her time, her effort and “her whole heart into everything she did,” said Hillary Hodgson, her youngest daughter.
Marcia Ruth Murphy was born on April 15, 1956, to Christian Scientist parents in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Perhaps it was as an only child that she grew up to be conscientious, structured and an overachiever. At age 14, Marcia was enrolled at Principia School, a Christian Science boarding school in the St. Louis area in Missouri. Perhaps it was there that she was taught to live with purpose.
Following high school, Marcia attended Michigan State University, where she earned an associate’s degree in political science, then George Washington University, from which she graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in political science and journalism. Thirty years later, Marcia received a creative writing certificate from Washington University and then a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Tampa in 2015.
Inquisitive is an understatement when describing the lifelong journalist. Over a 43-year span, from 1978 to 2021, Marcia worked for daily and weekly newspapers in Massachusetts, Alaska, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Florida, where she worked for The Beaches Leader (1998-2000) and The Resident Community News Group (2015-2021).
While Marcia had a variety of news beats, including sports, society and news, it was in real estate news that she really shone. Shortly after joining Resident News in spring 2015, Marcia took on an assignment to share with readers the renovation of the Lane-Towers mansion in Avondale. The project was massive and so was the story, stretching over several issues of the community newspaper.
She also became good friends with the home’s owners, as she did with most of her story subjects.
“She was a true-blue person, a very sincere, thorough person, who really cared about everybody,” said Hillary. “Her relationships were authentic. She would put her whole heart into everything she did and into everyone who became a friend.”
Kristanna Barnes first met Marcia at a meeting about Village 2 Village, an aging in place concept. “A group of us formed a committee to look into the possibility of starting the program in the San Marco area and Marcia followed our progress,” said Kristanna. “Over the years she reached out for information on stories regarding San Marco. She also met my mother, Marjorie Broward, while working on a story about the potential demolition of The Landing and they stayed in touch. Once you meet Marcia, she became a friend who was so positive and upbeat it was always a joy to be around her.”
Echoing those sentiments, another story source, Suzanne Honeycutt, said “Marcia was creative, intelligent, interesting and interested. She adored her daughters, loved her husband. She was humble and a gift to our city.”
Marcia became the Resident’s go-to for “state of the real estate” stories and such was the accuracy and excellence of her reporting that when she interviewed in 2021 with the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR), there was no question that she was the perfect candidate for the position of communications director and senior writer and editor. “She was a dedicated professional and a tremendous asset to the NEFAR family. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to excellence left a lasting impact on our organization, and she will be deeply missed,” said NEFAR CEO Glenn East on the NEFAR website.
“Marcia was someone who gave everything – her time, her energy, her expertise – to those around her. She had a heart for helping others, even when it meant putting herself second. That was just who she was,” said longtime colleague, Josh Garrett, who first worked with Marcia at The Resident Community News Group and tipped her off to the position at NEFAR. “We had other applicants, but Marcia was in a league of her own. If this had been a debate, the other candidates would have been packing up before opening statements were finished. Her experience, her media savvy, her ability to tell a story – she had it all.”
When Marcia was 28 and working in the development office at Amherst College, she met Robert Hodgson, who had returned to Amherst in 1984 to earn a Master of Science in accounting. After a whirlwind courtship of two weeks, the couple became engaged and married in Wayland, Massachusetts in September 1984 with Marcia’s cousin, the Rev. Janet Cooper-Nelson, chaplain of Brown University, presiding.
In the early 1990s, Marcia worked at The Milford Cabinet and Wilton Journal, as sports editor/town editor, and gave birth to her two daughters, Celia Hope Hodgson (1990) and Hillary Anne Hodgson (1992). By 1998, the Hodgson family had moved to Ponte Vedra, where Marcia was a reporter and photographer for The Beaches Leader.
When her daughters were approaching high school age, Marcia and the girls moved to Missouri in 2003 so they could attend her alma mater, Principia School. During those years, through 2010, Marcia worked at the YMCA of West County as an aquatics specialist. Shortly after leaving Chesterfield, Missouri, and moving back to Florida, in 2013 Marcia contracted colon cancer, thought to be associated with a radioactive hazardous waste dumpsite in that Missouri community.
The Hodgson family lived in Ponte Vedra and joined Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine. In 2022, Robert passed away at age 73. In April 2024, Marcia moved to San Marco Place, thrilled to be living in the neighborhood she had covered extensively as managing editor for the Resident’s San Marco edition.
“Marcia was a cherished member of our team for many years. Her dedication, warmth, and positive spirit touched all of us at the paper. We are grateful for the time we had with her and will always remember her with fondness and gratitude,” said Pamela Williams, publisher of The Resident Community News.
Marcia Ruth Murphy Hodgson is survived by her daughters Celia Hope Hodgson and Hillary Anne Hodgson. Her remains will be interred in the Hodgson family plot at Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
