Jeffrey C. Hodgson, 63

Jeffrey C. Hodgson, 63, of Eureka passed away unexpectedly Monday, Sept. 22, 2008, at his home in Eureka. He and his wife, Lee, had been full-time residents of Eureka since 2004, having moved there from Florida.

He grew up in Chicago and received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago, and studied economics under Milton Friedman.

He owned his own consulting company for more than 35 years, specializing in "turn-arounds" and start-ups. He also owned an international distribution and Internet business, and was an active member of the Business Network International in the Flathead.

His community activities have included special-education programs for literacy, Big Brothers program, substance-abuse programs, Boy Scouts of America, and corporate citizenship.

He was also quite active in computer security and stopping telephone fraud. In 1999, the fraud system he designed helped catch the "Railway Serial Killer," helped to return a kidnapped 6-year-old girl, and is helping hundreds of telecom companies reduce losses because of fraud, identity theft and bad debt.

Survivors include his wife, Lee Kessler; and sister, Patricia Zehnder, along with her four sons, Andy, Tom, Bob and Chris, and their wives and children.

Memorial services are pending. Arrangements are by Schnackenberg and Nelson Funeral Home in Eureka.