VOORHEESVILLE — Linda B. Hodges lived her life caring for others, whether it was family members she made quilts for, looking after her beloved dog, or volunteering with the seniors in the towns of Knox and Berne. She died on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. She was 56.

“She was a very kind and very caring person,” said her sister, Susan Ronesi-Erhardt.

Ms. Hodges was born on Nov. 10, 1960, in Albany to the late John and Elizabeth Hodges, and grew up in Newtonville, a suburban hamlet in the town of Colonie not too far from Siena College. She was the youngest child, the “baby,” as her sister said. She and her three siblings would often spend their summers at their grandparents’ dairy farm in South Schodack, in Rensselaer County.

“Linda always enjoyed the country,” said her sister. Later in her life, Ms. Hodges moved to a house on Ashford Drive in Voorheesville, because it was a place out in the country. She also volunteered at John Boyd Thacher State Park and enjoyed hiking and spending her time outdoors.

“She loved the area she lived in,” said her sister.

Ms. Hodges graduated from Shaker High School in 1978. She later did computer programming for New York State, and eventually became an electrician, and was a member of a local electricians union.

“Quite a stretch between a computer programmer and electrician,” said her sister.

When she was unable to work, Ms. Hodges found purpose in her volunteer work, as she was able to choose her own schedule. She was a member of the Knox Ladies’ Auxiliary for the volunteer fire department and also ran the Hilltowns Senior Meal Program at the Helderberg Senior Center in Berne.

“She was just tickled with the seniors…” said her sister. “I think she just enjoyed the companionship of other people.”

Her interest may have first begun when she was spending time with her elderly father, who participated in senior activities in the Latham area. Ms. Hodges took her father to some of the events in Watervliet or Cohoes.

An avid reader, Ms. Hodges also volunteered at the Voorheesville Public Library.

“Linda enjoyed just about anything,” her sister said, of her reading interests.

Ms. Hodges also enjoyed any kind of crafting — her family members each had something made by her. Her now-14-year-old great-niece has an alphabet quilt Ms. Hodges made with each letter represented by a different animal.

“Linda was a big animal lover,” her sister noted. Ms. Hodges had a beloved dog, Cookie, who died shortly before she did. Cookie was often by her side, and would ride alongside her in her car.

Growing up, Ms. Hodges also had a horse that was boarded at a ranch in Loudonville. Her sister said that she dreamed of owning a horse again.

Ms. Hodges and her siblings grew up attending the United Methodist Church in Newtonville. Her father, who was raised across from the church, was a member. The family lived within walking distance of the church, and put on their Sunday best to attend church and Sunday school every week, her sister said.

“We all were a part of that church,” said her sister.

A minister from the Newtonville church will be present at her service later this week.

Her family, now in different parts of the country, would reunite for “mini-family reunions,” and Ms. Hodges would drive out on Sunday mornings to have breakfast with them. Her sister said she was always “loving and kind.”

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Ms. Hodges is survived by her siblings, Susan Ronesi-Erhardt, and her husband, Tom Erhardt; Don Hodges, and his wife, Sharon; and Bruce Hodges, and his wife, Lynn; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, family, and friends.

A graveside service will be held in Memory Gardens Cemetery, 983 Watervliet Shaker Road, Colonie, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 10 a.m., and a celebration of her life will be held at Rock Road Chapel, 96 Rock Road, Berne, on Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.

— H. Rose Schneider