Joseph Louis Hodl III

Joseph Louis Hodl III met his future wife, Cheri, when they were 12 years old, growing up in Spokane. They eventually married and raised three children, settling into their “forever home,” Post Falls, in 1992.

Born in Spokane, Joe attended St. Peter’s Catholic School, Gonzaga Prep and Washington State University. He earned a certificate in industrial electricity from Spokane Community College, and made that field his career, working for his dad at H&N Electric for 20 years. In 1999, he started his own business in Post Falls, North Idaho Air Compression, until he suffered a massive heart attack. After his recovery, he worked at Cascade Machinery and Electric in Spokane until he retired.

He loved sports and supporting the Post Falls High School Trojans, in particular. He was a longtime member and former president of the school’s booster club.

He died Aug. 17 at Kootenai Health at age 64.

After his death, Cheri Hodl and others in North Idaho started a campaign to memorialize Joe, his big smile and his support for mask-wearing during the pandemic by distributing “Smile-4Joe” masks for free. You can contribute to their effort at gofundme.com/f/smile4joe-memorial-fund.