Denice Carolee McKague passed away peacefully at home on March 26, 2020. She was 75. She lived her life dedicated to those she loved and the arts. She used the Golden Rule as her compass in all that she did and kept joy in her heart which she shared with her warm beautiful smile until her life passed.
Denice was born to Veronica Anne and Kenneth Oliver Hodges in Minneapolis Minnesota. The family headed west, settling in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles in the mid 1950’s. She was a caring big sister to her brother Greg, and strived to keep up with her older brother Kerry, learning many things from him, one of which was to be the best female baseball ball player in the neighborhood.
She was an “A” student, giving her best to all that she did. One of her talents was drawing and painting which earned her a scholarship to a fine art school in Paris. However, that was not the path she chose. One of her daughters remembers how she would wink when she said she may not have been a mother, had she taken that path and gone to Paris. Throughout her life there was always a work in progress on one of her easels.
She was a poet and songwriter. She became a staff songwriter for a major music producer in the early 1970’s, with several songs being recorded by famous musicians. She left Los Angeles for a quieter life. Her parents found Nevada City on a camping trip, decided to move, and Denice followed. Her Nevada City home is where she stayed for over forty years and considered it her sanctuary on Deer Creek. She worked in the local schools for the California Poets in the Schools Program, and later in retirement operated her home business, Artworks Unlimited. She loved watching good old comedy such as Peter Sellers movies, reading about new cutting edge scientific studies, religion, and psychology, and enjoyed great conversation as diverse as her hundreds of books that fill her walls. She gave selflessly to those in need. She loved the holidays and made them incredibly special as it really did seem she enjoyed giving more than taking. She was fiercely loyal, patient, funny, creative, compassionate and beautiful. Denice is survived by her husband of 35 years, Glendon McKague, Daughter, Michelle Young, Son-in-Law, John Young, Brother, Kerry Hodges, Step Children; Stephanie and Tim McKague, Grandchildren; Electra and Max Cassano, and Raysun Young, along with many other family members whom she loved dearly. Denice was preceded in death by her Daughter, Emily St.Jacques (Crockett), Step Son, Glenn Mckague, Mother, Father and Brother, Gregory Hodges. There will be a celebration of her life at a later date. The family would like to thank the team at Helping Hands Adult Day Program in Penn Valley for their kindness and enjoyment of life they helped provide in her last years.
