Mary Sue Lovell Hodges

Mary Sue Lovell Hodges, 93, of Statesboro, passed away peacefully on March 13, 2026. Born on May 7, 1932, in Clayton, Georgia, to Fulton Virgil and Winnie Davis Lovell, she graduated from Rabun County High School and attended Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville. There she met the love of her life, Lloyd Inman Hodges. They married on December 31, 1950, and shared a devoted marriage for nearly seventy-one years until his passing on November 13, 2021.

Mary Sue possessed a lifelong passion for cooking and entertaining, creating warm and memorable gatherings for family and friends, especially during Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. She was also gifted with her hands, excelling in needlework and crafting beautiful pieces. A member of the Sprig and Dig Garden Club, the Bulloch County Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Statesboro Worship Church, she was a Deen Day Smith Award recipient. In 1957, she and Inman purchased the College Grill, later known as the Paragon Restaurant. Together they built a successful business that grew to include multiple Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Inn, and Dairy Queen locations.

Above all, Mary Sue cherished her family. She had a special gift for making each person feel deeply loved and valued. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sister Janey Lovell Lampros. She is survived by her brother, Larkin Dixon; her children, Inman Gregory Hodges (Cindy), Janis Hodges Bell (Les), and Lloyd Inman Hodges, Jr. (Vicki); her grandchildren, Mary Kathryn Gifford (Jacob), Fulton Hodges (Mackenzie), Klara Geriner (Tillman), and Emily Hodges; and her great-grandchildren, Warren Gifford, Grey Dell, Strieter Geriner, and Weeks Geriner.