| Graduation Year | Class of 1975 |
| Date of Birth | Jan 30, 1957 |
| Date of Passing | Apr 13, 2014 |
| About | BECKER Steven Hodges, 57, Sylva, NC, died unexpectedly April 13, 2014. He was born January 30, 1957 in Lexington, KY, son of Jean Hodges Becker and the late Harold Charles Becker. In his youth he was an active member of Second Presbyterian Church and Troop 14 of the Boy Scouts, where he received The God and Country award and was an Eagle Scout. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology until he and a friend started Spirit Moving Service, with the motto "Let the Spirit Move You". From 1991-1995 he served in the US Army, achieving the rank of Sergeant First Class and studying Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He served as a Russian translator and a Black Hawk helicopter navigator while in Germany and Fort Hood, TX. He received a BS degree in Foreign Language Studies from State University of New York in Albany while in service. In 1997 Steve moved to Sylva, NC and began graduate studies at Western Carolina University. Since 2008 he worked full-time for the university in the Distance Learning Studio and Information Technology Services department. He loved the mountains, the people and the school. He was a loving, generous, talented and friendly person, an avid reader who enjoyed and excelled at playing disc golf and the card game Magic. He had many friends and was a mentor for some. He will certainly be missed by friends and family but not forgotten. He is survived by his mother; by his brother Lawrence and his wife Carol Kessler; his sister, Ellen Allinger and her husband James "Gus" Allinger; an aunt, Jenny Hodges and two first cousins, Nancy Steele and husband Glyndon and Anne Hodges. A private burial will be followed by a memorial service on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 11am at Second Presbyterian Church 460 E. Main St, Lexington, with visitation and reception to follow in the church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations in Steven's memory to the Sierra Club, PO Box 1368, Lexington, KY 40588, the Second Presbyterian Church or a charity of your choice. www.milwardfuneral.com Published by Lexington Herald-Leader on May 1, 2014. |
