Obituary of Donald Murray Hodel

Donald Murray Hodel was born on September 28, 1963 in Los Angeles, California. He spent the better part of his youth living in Glendale before moving with his family to Telluride, Colorado in 1977. While attending Telluride High School, Don was a member of the school’s wrestling team, learned to ski, and began a lifetime interest in auto shop. After graduating from Telluride High School in 1981, Don briefly attended Fort Lewis College in Durango before deciding to pursue a career in building. At that point, he became a carpenter apprentice for Dick de Pagter’s Dutch Masters Construction Company building homes in the Telluride area. Later on, Don worked for Casey Smith’s Sheep Mountain Construction Company erecting homes in Telluride and Mountain Village. After fifteen years of building in the Telluride area and becoming an accomplished craftsman, he left Telluride and moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona to be closer to his father Donald Hodel, Sr. There, Don worked on remodel projects for the London Bridge Resort and acquired a contractor’s license. Aside from doing independent construction, he became the maintenance and remodel expert for several buildings that his father and step mother Kathy Hodel owned in Lake Havasu City and Santa Monica, California. His primary residence though, was at a home in Lake Havasu City that he remodeled with his father. During the heat of a Lake Havasu summer, however, Don would often visit his mother and step father, Alexandra and Rudy Davison, at their homes in Durango and Telluride, Colorado where he continued helping this part of family with their remodel projects and reacquaint himself with former friends. Living in Lake Havasu City allowed Don to become active in the sports of water skiing and scuba diving. He was also involved with the Lake Havasu Gun Club and assisted his father with Lake Havasu Republican Party activities. Other interests Don enjoyed were cooking and being a dog owner. His canine companion since puppyhood, an Australian-German Shepard mix named Savior, was at his bedside during Don’s final days. Savior was always a prominent fixture in the front seat of the big white pickup truck that Don drove around Lake Havasu City. Don’s final days were spent surrendering to a disease he fought for many years. . He was at his home in Lake Havasu City with his sister Carrie Elizabeth Pascoe from Nottingham, New Hampshire, and mother Alexandra when he died during the early morning hours of November 27, 2023. He was 60 years old. According to Carrie, “Don lived his life on his own terms, for better or worse”. In addition to his sister and mother, Don is survived by step father Rudy and brother in law Richard Pascoe from Nottingham, New Hampshire. He was predeceased by his father Don Sr. and step mother Kathy Hodel. The family would like to acknowledge the ICU team at Havasu Regional Medical Center and the hospice services at Compassus for their compassion and care during Don’s final weeks. A private memorial service will be held in Lake Havasu City in February, 2024.