chaplain’s jacket.
IRVINGTON — A section of Eastern Parkway will be ceremonially renamed in honor of an Essex County businessman who became a minister, founded a church and served as chaplain for municipal employees.
“It would mean a lot to my grandfather,” said Denise Hodges. “This is something pretty momentous. My family is coming from all across the U.S.”
The township passed a resolution authorizing the ceremonial naming of Eastern Parkway from Highland Terrace to 18th Avenue as Rev. Dr. Leroy Hodges, Sr. Way at a meeting on May 31, 2022.
The resolution noted his service as chaplain to the police and fire departments as well as to the Department of Public Works of Irvington.
It also noted his success in business and that he had become a minister in the Church of God in Christ and eventually an elder before founding and incorporating Strangers Home Church of God In Christ, the first Church of God In Christ congregation in Irvington.
The church grew and led him to open the Strangers Home Day Care Centers and create the Strangers Home Community Development Corp. where he provided and supported many efforts on behalf of the community, according to his family.
The street dedication is set for Saturday, July 22, at noon at the corner of Eastern Parkway and 18th Avenue, which was the previous location of Hodge’s Strangers Home Church of God In Christ. After Hodges retired, another church purchased the location.
Born and reared in Mississippi, Hodges decided to come north for more opportunities so he moved his family to Newark.
He worked in many areas but was drawn to the fields of glass and mirror. In 1979, he founded the Hodges Glass and Mirror Corp. and began serving many companies and customers throughout the East Coast.
This venture paved the way for him to open the first black owned True Value Hardware store in Newark. He prided himself on doing great work.
“He had a jovial nature but he was very staunch about taking pride in your work and letting your work reflect your heart and as a Hodges, that name in and of itself, carries weight,” Denise Hodges said. “The way you reflect on the name will carry on.”
Hodges co-founded the Newark Coalition of Small Business Association and the Clinton Avenue Merchants Association of Newark. He became a member of the Newark Chamber of Commerce and the Newark Urban Zone Advisory Committee.
“As an entrepreneur he always told us there are no limitations,” Denise Hodges said. “Anyone can do whatever they want to do. Don’t give up on your dreams.”
Denise Hodges said the ceremony will be on her grandfather’s birthday. Rev. Hodges was born on July 22, 1935 and died on Oct. 23, 2021.
A statement from his family said that it is their hope that “the community joins us as we remember the contributions of this man.”
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