Cheryl D. Hodge

Cheryl R. Hodge went home to eternal rest on September 15, 2016 at Southern Maryland Medstar Hospital in Clinton, MD. Cheryl was born on August 27, 1944 in Washington, DC, one of four children (Macon, Michael, and Deidra) born to the late Macon L. Roach, Sr. and Adele Roach Terry. After only five years of being an only child, she took on the mantle of leadership, becoming both big sister and co-mother to her brothers and sister. From the very beginning, Cheryl did all things exceptionally well, from cooking and cleaning for her brothers and sisters, to helping them with their homework while keeping up with and excelling at her own. She attended Washington, DC public schools, graduating from Spingarn High School in 1962, and later completed a course of study in business administration at George Washington University.
In 1962 Cheryl was wed to Ernest White, and to this union one son, Ernest R. White, affectionately known as "Bobby", was born. She married the love of her life, Lawrence (Larry) Hodge, Jr., in 1982, and two enjoyed many years of marriage before Larry went home to glory in February, 2016.
Above all things that Cheryl loved and did well as a teenager and young woman, she loved most of all to dance and sing, and for a time she even entertained thoughts of singing professionally. However, in her early 20's these ambitions were upended by the re-awakening of her passion for travel, first ignited by trips with her father to a local airfield when she was a little girl. Her love for travel and the beautiful world that it brought within her reach were what drew her first to the U.S. Passport Office in Washington in 1963 and later to the U.S. Department of State. For most of her nearly 40 year career at the State Department, Cheryl served as the Chief of the Policy Division in the Office of Performance Evaluation in the Bureau of Human Resources, and was an active member of the Department's Thursday Luncheon Group until her retirement in 2010. During her career at the State Department, the joy she drew from her many opportunities to travel was eclipsed only by her love and respect for her colleagues and mentees, who remember her as "someone who dedicated herself to improving the human resources system at every opportunity, uniting Civil Service and Foreign Service personnel in immeasurable ways, and touching and improving the lives of all she encountered."
Cheryl was truly a "Renaissance Woman" who loved to read, travel, support the arts, and entertain family and friends. It is very hard to imagine the Washington arts scene without Cheryl sitting in the front rows of the Kennedy Center, the Shakespeare Theatre, and the Arena Stage, all of which she generously supported.
By far Cheryl's most cherished role was as family matriarch, the one who always lifted us by her example as a born leader, role model, and motivator. The one who was "everyone's rock" in times of need. How we will miss family gatherings at her beautiful home in Ft. Washington, MD. Her strength and wise counsel in times of crisis. Her infectious, musical laughter that taught us to laugh and hold our heads high through the everyday trials of life.
On the occasion of her homegoing, she would want everyone who loves her to know that her greatest legacy is her son, Ernest (Bobby) and his beautiful family. In Bobby we see reflected Cheryl's own devotion to family, lifelong passion for learning and teaching, and commitment to serving others. We see the blessed assurance that as long as we choose to serve others first, she, our beloved Ambassador of Love and Light, will live on and on.
Cheryl leaves to cherish her memory: her son, Ernest R. ("Bobby") White; daughter-in-law, Maria; two grandchildren, Erik and Marissa White; step-mother, Fostine R. Roach; one sister, Deidra Roach-Quarles (Ernest); two brothers, Macon L. Roach and Michael W. Roach; mother-in-law, Ida B. Hodge; sister-in-law, Gail O. Hodge; one god-daughter, Regina A. Banks; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.






Funeral Home:
Cedell Brooks Funeral Home
25662 A.P. Hill Blvd
Port Royal, VA
US 22535