Jim Hodges had no craven interest in death, but he was fascinated by what was written about it.

No one in the Quad-Cities ever made a study of obituaries like that of Dr. Herbert J. "Jim" Hodges, an extraordinary scholar and man of seasoned wit.

Now, sadly, Jim Hodges' obituary is on Page B4 of today's Quad-City Times. Jim died Sunday, age 80. Services will be Thursday at Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport.

He had been fascinated by the bits of a decedent's life that emerged in obituary notices, little things like, "Mr. Martin enjoyed horses throughout his life and also rode bulls." He made records of such things.

Jim, a cheery man, once told me, "I believe that obituaries are important to the deceased and their families. They can describe in detail - many times with great emotion - the life and final rite of passage of the deceased."

That could be a man's love affair with an old Dodge, or the fact that a woman enjoyed an occasional shot of whiskey and pink dresses.

A retired St. Ambrose University professor, Jim Hodges was a student of all things, including obits. He wrote the book on collective bargaining - but then again, he had a love affair with all books. He knew more about birds than any Quad-Citizen, and only recently finished a study of unusual signs. He sought out the offbeat. For this, he was a compulsive reader of newspapers.

"I became aware of the aging process when I started to read the local obituary page before reading employment opportunities," he once said to me, with a wink, when leaning back in his favorite chair in his Village of East Davenport home.

"My research has been enhanced since 1996 when the Quad-City Times established a policy where a family might purchase an extended obituary written by the family. People have embraced the opportunity, and now there is a lot of color in the obituaries."

How death arrived particularly interested him, such as an obituary that read, "Sgt. Ripley of the Salvation Army was promoted to glory" and an obit of a 44-year-old special needs person "who was freed of earthly disabilities to become a special angel."

"We own things that are important to us," Jim once said, listing items that were important to the deceased. "He was the very proud owner of a 1962 Impala." Or, "He took great pride in his equipment, a backhoe, 'dozer and tractor." Or, "He loved to show his 1947 red Plymouth."

special interests sometimes were important to a decedent. "She was an avid Times reader who never missed the daily crossword puzzle." Or, "He was a die-hard Cubs fan and enjoyed giving people a hard time."

Personality emerges in many obituaries, Jim observed. One, about a 94-year-old Long Grove farmer, read: "When he did find time to relax, he liked to fill his pipe with Prince Albert, sit on the porch and talk about how there was either too much, or not enough rain."

One of his favorites: "Ninety-five percent of the people who met her, loved her; five percent did not and they know who they are and were not worth knowing in the first place."

He liked to note, after reading some obituaries, that life is not fair, and neither is death. He talked about the death of Kevin, a skydiver who had jumped from airplanes, cliffs, bridges and towers, but died in an auto accident.

Jim Hodges once reported his obituary research in an essay read to members of the Contemporary Club, a scholarly group that has been meeting for more than a century. The group hears dialogues on wide ranges of interest. In conclusion of his essay, he humbly commented:

"The obituary for this writer is prepared and filed."

That is the obituary that appears today.

Contact Bill Wundram at (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.com.