William Griffith Hodge 1936 – 2022
Peacefully and with family by his side, Grif Hodge passed away on September 8th, 2022 in
Lachute, Quebec. William Griffith Hodge was born on December 1, 1936 in Montreal, Quebec to
William A. and Mildred (née Griffith) Hodge. His early years were spent at Montview, the Hodge
family farm in Ville St-Laurent, at Lac Louisa on Griffith Island, and later in Town of Mount
Royal. Grif attended McGill University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1958 and
a Bachelor of Library Science in 1959. Grif had a long and successful career in information
studies, particularly in pioneering the use of educational multimedia. His career began at
Macdonald College and Lakeshore School Board in Montreal and later for the Visual Education
Centre in Toronto.
In 1972 Grif was invited to create a school library system for the new city of Thompson,
Manitoba. With a spirit of adventure, Grif and his wife Marion moved to Thompson, initially
planning on staying for 2 years. Finding a welcoming and vibrant community with many new
friends and opportunities, the couple set down roots and stayed for 30 years. Visitors to their
home were always met with Grif’s gourmet meals and lively discussion and debate.
During his time in Thompson he established a professional library for educators, a studio for
educational films, organized artist-in-school programs, and served for many years as a leader at
the provincial level in the introduction of new technology in schools and libraries. Grif also
provided leadership to various organizations such as University Colleges North, the Thompson
Public Library, and the Heritage North Museum. In the 1990s, Grif’s leadership was instrumental
in the creation of Mysterynet, which provided free internet service for northern Manitoba schools
during the early years of the World Wide Web. The success of Mysterynet led to the creation of
the Boreal Distance Education and Technology Consortium, which sought to connect isolated
communities to the internet. In 2009, the Manitoba School Library Association named him an
Honorary Life Member for his dedicated advocacy for school libraries in rural and isolated
communities.
Grif loved theatre, music, and storytelling. He was a founding member of both the Lakeshore
Players in Montreal and the Thompson Playhouse.
Grif retired to Quebec where he busied himself with building a home near Lac Louisa, compiling
family recipes, writing book reviews for the local newspaper, enjoying Griffith Island, fishing,
working on his model trains, and researching the history of the Argenteuil region. Neighbors at
the lake always knew when Grif was in charge of a celebration when the fireworks started.
Grif is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marion (née McGill) Hodge, his children Robin (Amy),
Laurie, Kim, Erin (John), Heather (Fred), and Shannon (Jason) as well as his grandchildren
Danny, Justin, Alexandra (Thomas), Hollie (Addison), Samantha (Clay), Adam (Crystal),
Rebecca, Caitlin (Tony), Megan (Jordan), Joshua (Dayna), Elizabeth and Malcolm. Also
survived by great-grandchildren Gabriel, Theo, Andrew, Lucas, Charlie, Ari, and Xavier. Also
survived by his sister Elaine (née Hodge) Anderson and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his parents William and Mildred Hodge and daughter Marnie and son-in-
law Tony Collins.
The family will welcome relatives and friends on Friday, September 23, 2022 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Salon Roland Ménard Inc. Funeral home, 395 Grace street, Lachute (Qc) J8H 1M3.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (bookcentre.ca/support-
us/donations) or charity of your choice. In keeping with Grif’s love of storytelling, if you have
memories or pictures you would like to share with the family please email
griffithisland.stories@gmail.com.
1 décembre 1936 8 septembre 2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de William Griffith Hodge 1 décembre 1936 8 septembre 2022..
Décès pour la Ville: Lachute, Province: Quebec