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Record #21599
Name :
: Nicholas HODSON ( - 2013)
  aka : Nick


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
:

Marriage (1)
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Marriage (2)
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Date of Death
: 12 Jan 2013   Notes : Old age
Abode (1) : Place of BirthRussia
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial, Canada, Collingwood
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 23 Apr 1932
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Duchess of Richmond

Placement Family
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Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
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Agency
: Unknown
NotesArtist, volunteer, passes on

By Morgan Ian Adams, Enterprise-Bulletin
Monday, January 14, 2013 2:51:51 EST PM

COLLINGWOOD ? An artist and long-time community volunteer has died.



Nick Hodson, who documented a number of the town?s historic buildings through his art, died on Saturday at the G&M Hospital. He was 96.

Mr. Hodson was a noted artist, whose sketches were published a decade ago in a book, A Collingwood Collection: Drawings by Nick Hodson, by the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts.

His sketches included the current and former Temple buildings, town hall, the railway station, the first G&M Hospital, and numerous churches. In the book, each sketch is accompanied by a brief history, as well as a personal anecdote.

The original sketches are on display in council chambers.

He was also an avid student of history, and made numerous presentations to the Collingwood & District Historical Society on the town?s history, and its link to Lord Cuthbert Collingwood. He also volunteered his time at All Saints? Anglican Church, and was a member of the local Masonic Lodge.

Former CAO and town clerk Gord Norris worked with Mr. Hodson on the donation of the sketches to the municipality, noting the artist was very keen on seeing the work in the hands of the town.

?Nick was one of the kindest gentleman I had ever met in my life,? said Norris, who was also good friends with Mr. Hodson. ?He had a very interesting history... which would have shocked a lot of people.?

Mr. Hodson was born in Russia where his family owned a cotton-spinning business; his father served with British Intelligence at the outbreak of World War I. When the revolution began, and Czar Nicholas was overthrown, the business was confiscated and the family moved back to Manchester, England.

Mr. Hodson?s father was then employed with the emigration department of the Canadian Pacific Railway, responsible for bringing Mennonite and Doukhobors to Canada; that required another move, this time to Riga, Latvia.

They returned to England, and after three years at a British boarding school, the Hodsons headed for Canada in 1932.

Mr. Hodson started off working at a fruit farm in an area now part of Mississauga, and came to Collingwood in the mid-1930s. He contracted tuberculosis, which made him ineligible for wartime service; instead, he went to work for Clyde Aircraft. After the war, he landed a job at Trott?s Furniture, where he worked for 25 years, and operated a cigar shop.

He took up painting in the mid-1960s, under the tutelage of noted regional artist Robert Kemp.

"Bob and I used to roam around the countryside looking for old houses," Mr. Hodson told the Enterprise-Bulletin in 2002, when A Collingwood Collection was published.

?He was devoted to Collingwood, and he made it his home,? said Norris. ?The little things that he did for people, in his own way, he certainly affected a lot of people in a positive manner, and I hope he is appreciated for that.?

Norris said there was one piece, that is owned by Mr. Hodson?s family, that he always appreciated; Mr. Hodson had painted a study of an abandoned farmhouse that once stood just east of Edenvale ? with a bit of a twist.

?Nick was going by it one day, and there were some cows in the field, and one was in the house with its head out the window,? said Norris. ?I always found that one somewhat amusing.?

In 1981, Mr. Hodson discussed the idea of hanging a portrait of Lord Collingwood in the council chambers with then-mayor Ron Emo.

Mr. Hodson undertook the research and painted the portrait. The work was commissioned by Johnny Johnson.

"It is an honour to be recognized for something you enjoy doing... I have made so many friends and it does not take much effort to do what I have done," said Mr. Hodson as he accepted the Companion to the Order of Collingwood in 2008. He was recognized with the Order of Collingwood in 1993.

Mr. Hodson was predeceased by his wife, Flora. The couple have a son, Gary (Trish), and grandchildren David (Nadine), Brian (Katherine), Katie, and Iain (Kim).

Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2 until 4 p.m., and 7 until 9 p.m. at Fawcett Funeral Home in Collingwood. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at All Saints Anglican Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made payable to the General & Marine Hospital or the CNIB in Mr. Hodson's memory. 
ContributorsCreated : 2013-01-15 06:50:11 / From original database

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  4 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
20740 HODSON, Arthur1894ENG,     Jun 1908 : Tunisian CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
24027 HODSON, Charles1904ENG,     Jun 1916 : Scandinavian CAN Middlemore  
17017 HODSON, Jas1883ENG,     Apr 1900 : Cambroman CAN Barnardos  
21599 HODSON, Nicholas RU_,     Apr 1932 : Duchess of Richmond CAN Unknown