Duane Neil Hodgkinson

Duane Neil Hodgkinson, 89, of Livingston, passed away Friday, September 19, 2014, at Livingston Health and Rehabilitation Center. The family appreciates the personal care the staff provided during his stay. Cremation has taken place at Franzen-Davis Funeral Home & Crematory. A celebration of Duanes life will be held Saturday, October 4, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Flying Y Airport. For information call (406)333-4788. Duane, the son of Walter and Jennie (Moore) Hodgkinson, was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 7, 1925. He was the third of four children and was preceded in death by his two older brothers, James and Fred, and his younger sister Joan. He married Barbara Loomis in 1954. They had one daughter, Talita (Hodgkinson) Paolini. Barbara passed away on June 5, 1969. He is survived by his only child, Talita Paolini, and her two children, Christopher and Angela. Subsequently, Duane married Frances Leonard in 1969. After her death in 2002, Duane married Melody Hake in 2005; they divorced in 2011. Duane served in World War II in New Guinea, Philippines, and Japan. After the war he finished his degree in mechanical engineering and spent his career working for Lockheed at the Santa Cruz Test Base in California. Duane developed a love for flying small aircraft when he was in high school. Later he acquired certification to teach others to fly. Both in the military and during his time at Lockheed he found opportunities to take to the skies. For seventeen years he made daily flights to search for fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains. When teaching, he often spoke of the runway as a "roadway to the sky" and delighted in helping others discover the joy of flight. In 1985, Duane and his wife Frances purchased a small airport in the Paradise Valley and began the Paradise Valley Flying Service, which offered aircraft repair, scenic tours, and flight training. He will be missed by all whose lives he brightened in a thousand different ways. Arrangements are under the care of Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory in Livingston.