Elbert Rayburn Hodges, 79, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, husband of Sharon Crabbe Hodges, previously married to the late Mary Etta Hodges, died Thursday, July 18, 2013 at a local hospital following a brief illness. A Celebration of Elbert's Life will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, July 20, 2013 in the J. HENRY STUHR INC MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL, 1494 Mathis Ferry Road. Interment will follow in Mt. Pleasant Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at the chapel from 2:00 pm until the time of the service.

Mr. Hodges was born June 13, 1934 in Washington, NC, a son of the late Claude D. and Eunice Hodges. He graduated from NC State University where he earned his B.S. Degree in Nuclear Engineering. Following his graduation, he worked for the Charleston Naval Shipyard, working on nuclear submarines for five years before accepting a position as Aeronautical Engineer with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There he was in charge of the Environmental Control Systems associated with the preparation and launch of the Apollo missions' Saturn 5 rockets where he took part in sending men to orbit and land on the moon. Mr. Hodges subsequently returned to Charleston Naval Shipyard, serving as Head, Nuclear Quality Engineering Division and as the Nuclear Production Manager several years before his retirement.

He will be sadly missed by his beloved wife, Sharon R. Hodges of Mount Pleasant, SC; his beloved son, E. Ray Hodges, Jr. M.D. and his wife Nancy of Lexington, SC; his stepdaughter, Ms. Jill Galdieri of Alexandria, VA; his stepson, Mr. Joe Galdieri and his wife, Ellen of Sunderland, MD; and his beloved grandchildren, Katie Hodges and Braden Hodges of Charleston, Rachel Mossman of Washington, DC, Jessica Hodges and Luke Hodges of Moncks Corner, and Abbey, Molly, and Cole Galdieri of Sunderland MD. He was preceded in death by his only brother, C.D. Hodges, Jr.