William D. Hodgman
Long time Grosse Pointe Park resident, William "Bill" Hodgman passed away Tuesday, May 3, at Ascension St. John Hospital. Hodgman, the eldest of four boys, was born in Detroit, August 27, 1942, to Daniel and Margaret (nee Langenderfer). He graduated from Austin Catholic High School in 1960; Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1964 (where he played basketball and tennis) and the University of Michigan Law School in 1967; and was a Michigan licensed attorney since 1968.
Hodgman's legal specialty interests included estate planning, physician recruitment and retention and joint ventures, and he wrote and spoke extensively on healthcare topics.
In 1990, he was elected a trustee of the Detroit Macomb Hospital Corporation. As chairman, he helped negotiate the merger of DMHC into the St. John Health System. He then served as chairman of St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital until 2010.
Hodgman was an avid reader and enjoyed writing "Letters to the Editor" to the Grosse Pointe News from 1994 until 2018. He loved tennis and golf, classical music, and enjoyed U of M and Lions football.
He was co-founder and president of Grosse Pointe Baseball Organization for 27 years. The organization funds the Grosse Pointe Redbirds summer baseball program for boys 13-18 years old and was led by former Detroit Tiger Dave Bergman.
Hodgman was involved in the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation, Grosse Pointe Park Foundation and The Rhoades Foundation, as well as the local Witenagemot Society.
Hodgman is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Rose (nee Stanlonis); five children, Melissa (Peter Strzok), Laura (Tom Rollins), Christopher (Chelsea Woznak), Brian, and Andrea; four grandchildren, Nicholas, Grace, Jack and Finn; brothers, Dr. Mark (Jane), Philip (Sue), and sister-in-law Betty (late Jeffrey Hodgman).
A funeral mass was held on Saturday, May 28, at St. Ambrose Church in Grosse Pointe Park.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made in his memory to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Institute of Arts, or the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.
