Rebecca Leigh Budke-Hodder

Rebecca Leigh Budke-Hodder, age 63, passed away peacefully at her home on October 31, 2021 in Royal Oaks, California.

She was born January 29, 1958 in Lone Pine, California to Ramona and Herman Budke of Lone Pine. She attended Lo Inyo Elementary and Lone Pine High School. She was an active member of the high school band where she played the flute. After high school graduation she attended college at UCLA. In her 20's and 30's she lived all over the state of California, from Palm Desert to Sacramento. She tried her hand as a photographer, bank officer, and even toured with a band for a while. No matter where her travels took her, she always returned to the Owens Valley to spend time with family, renew friendships, and of course to enjoy the beautiful Sierras.?

After moving to Santa Cruz, she met the love of her life, Bill Hodder. The two were engaged after six months of dating. They got married on September 8, 2001 on the shore of New Brighton State Beach. They would continue building a beautiful life together, filled with countless adventures. They frequently vacationed in Morro Bay and Hawaii. Aside from being a wife, Becky was also a stepmother to Rachel, Bill's daughter. From the young age of 4 years old, Becky spent many years providing a wonderful childhood for Rachel. The three of them shared many memories together such as attending baseball, hockey, and football games; taking trips to SeaWorld, Disneyland, Happy Hollow, San Francisco Zoo, and San Diego Zoo; seeing Circus de Sol, The Nutcracker, Disney on Ice, The Lipizzaner Stallions, and King Tut Museum; organizing surprise birthday parties and events; and going on annual family vacations to San Diego and Lone Pine, California. When she finally became a grandma, her new objective was to endlessly spoil Lukas from the day he was born. She found great pleasure in changing people's lives, even in the simplest of ways. Her main goal in life was to do one good deed for someone each day, and as a result she created a life full of honorable benevolence.

She was very active in the Coed Soccer League of Santa Cruz where she was a member of The Whole Enchilada soccer team since 1999. The team would play every weekend and attend multiple tournaments including Pleasanton, Soccer by the Sea, Soccer by the Bay, and Las Vegas. She was also involved with a women's bunko group that would get together for a monthly girl's night. Both groups were a huge part of Becky's life that allowed her to connect with so many life-long friends. While she is not physically here, her spirit will continue to shine bright, through all the love she shared with us.

She is survived by her husband (Bill Hodder), stepdaughter (Rachel Hodder), grandson (Lukas Phalen), sisters (Susan Lutze and Kathleen Gates), nieces (Jennifer Carlson, Kimberly Lutze, and Sarah Gates), nephews (Brandon Lutze and Mathew Lutze), brother-in-law (Bob Gates), as well as many friends and extended family.

Family and friends are invited to attend her Celebration of Life at the Corralitos Community Center on January 29, 2022 at 1PM. This will take place on Becky's birthday and at the location where she and Bill had their wedding reception. Guests can RSVP through this Evite link: http://evite.me/FUMy1b6kCz . A GoFundMe has been set up to help relieve some of the financial stress brought on by these last few months and to assist with funeral expenses. This GoFundMe can be found at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bill-with-the-loss-of-his-lovely-wife-becky?qid=fbe3855af409b975a45607e4ae54bcfd.

Bill, Rachel, and the rest of Becky's family would like to thank everyone who has helped throughout this tragic time. They are beyond grateful to be surrounded by such a strong support system that love Becky as much as they do.

Published in The Pajaronian · January 25, 2022