Tucker W. Hodgkins

YARMOUTH – Tucker W. Hodgkins, 42, passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 29, 2024. A resident of San Francisco, Calif., he died visiting family in his hometown of Yarmouth. Described by his friends as a thriller you can’t put down, the hole Tucker leaves behind feels incomprehensibly large and impossible to fill.

Born on Dec. 19, 1982, to David and Paula Hodgkins, Tucker spent his life surrounded by close friends, starting with his twin brother, Andrew. He had a somewhat feral childhood on Cousins Island, where his two older sisters zipped him into suitcases, spun him in circles until he puked, and locked him out of the house until he had run enough laps to regain entry. He also played dock tag, threw water balloons at passing cars from atop the fire-barn, and ran amok under the powerlines with a crew of wild boys.

His penchant for the absurd and life-long love of shenanigans even led him to troll this very newspaper. Eagle-eyed readers of the Maine Milestones column may recall reading about the fantastical accomplishments of his good friend, Mark Desiderio, which included consecutive no-hitters at the Northeast Regional Wiffleball Championship; a hole-in-one with an 8-iron at The Woodlands Club; and a top-10 finish at the Ski-doo Snowmobile New England Challenge. Faux achievements so cleverly worded, the editors only suspected they had been had after his fifth or sixth submission.

In addition to his wicked sense of humor, Tucker was also intensely driven and determined to excel at everything he did, whether that was work, school, or hawking ski-patches on EBay. While a student at Yarmouth High School, he notched numerous athletic and academic accolades, including contributing to a Class B soccer state championship his freshman year, becoming captain by his junior year, and winning the Class B skimeister award for combined achievements in alpine and cross-country skiing, twice.

At Bowdoin College he studied government and economics, and was again named captain of the soccer team. Known for his dedication to his teammates, he never missed a game or practice, even when sidelined by a knee injury for his entire sophomore year. Graduating a semester early, he opted to maximize his college experience by squatting in his best friend’s dorm room that spring while working as a research assistant with the World Bank. He also ran his first Boston Marathon as a “bandit”, an unofficial entrant. (He would eventually run the storied race officially in 2009 in 2:55:54.)

That was Tucker: Breaking the rules, doing things his way, finding success, making friends and having as much fun as possible. Tucker’s love language was nicknames, including “Poppington”, “Nagol”, and “Sami Miami”, and he found mischief at every turn.

While studying abroad in Ireland, Tucker travelled Europe, swiping pint glasses and bar paraphernalia at every chance. While staying with friends, he enjoyed late night snacks and beverages, leaving a trademark trail of milky cereal bowls and half-filled wine glasses around the floor. A fan of the written word, he would leave notes in his tell-tale scrawl, telling friends he had sold their belongings, or send them snail mail using stationary emblazoned with noted Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff’s name.

Ever-driven, Tucker made his career in investment banking, starting in Boston with Deutsche Bank and continuing in private equity. He spent a year and a half working in Hong Kong, before making his home in San Francisco, where he consulted for several start-ups and held short-term CFO gigs.

While in San Francisco, he also leaned into his passion for golf. He became a regular at the Presidio Golf Course, where he upped his game and made some unusual friends: a pack of coyotes whose offspring played with his glow-in-the-dark golf balls. As the years went on, he became a keen observer of their behavior, corresponding with park employees about their den locations and sending videos of their antics to friends and family.

Tucker was an excellent talker and an impatient listener, who somehow still heard, and retained, the minutiae of his loved ones’ lives, recalling small things years later that might surprise you. He could tell you who won a childhood Little League game, with stunning detail, or recite an inside joke from a decade earlier. He could talk politics and history late into the evening, but was unlikely to tell you how he was doing, or what he was up to.

A mystery in some ways, deeply transparent in others. Friends describe him as the most intellectually honest and highest energy person they ever met. As a child he would sneak downstairs after bedtime to call his grandmother and talk about the Red Sox. That transitioned into years of phone calls to his mother to recap Premier League soccer games.

Tucker loved and was loved by many. He is survived by his parents, David and Paula Hodgkins, of Cousins Island; his sister, Allison Hodgkins, her husband and Tucker’s skiing protege, George Rizkallah, and their sons Odeh and Sami, of Yarmouth; his sister, Shelby MacLeod, her husband Scott MacLeod, and their kids Logan and Charlie, of Yarmouth and Carrabassett Valley; and his twin brother, Andrew Hodgkins, his wife Sabrina Shankman, and their kids Oscar and Ruby, of South Portland. He also leaves behind his beloved aunt and uncle, Pam and Rich Prior, of Georgetown, Mass.; his cousins, their children; and an extended circle of friends from every chapter of his too short lifetime.

Those who loved him best wonder if maybe the universe holds a punch card for just how much fun a person can have in a lifetime, and maybe Tucker just filled his too soon.

There will be a celebration of Tucker’s life this summer.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Maine Lightning Youth Soccer (by emailing bnoltkamper.mlsc@gmail.com) or to the San Francisco Parks Conservancy.