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Richard Hodge was born in August 1960 at Mordialloc General Hospital near Melbourne, Australia. In the fall of 1968, he moved with his family to British Columbia, Canada, where he grew up mostly in Vancouver through his high school years.
After high school, a Canadian government youth program took him to Newfoundland. From there, he decided to hitchhike home—a decision that marked the beginning of roughly seven years of off-and-on cross-country hitchhiking throughout Canada and the United States. During that time, Richard traveled until he either found a place he wanted to stay or ran out of money. When that happened, he would find work and housing until he was ready to move on again. His jobs along the way included chamber-person and desk clerk in Whitehorse, Yukon; work at a fish plant in Harbour Breton, Newfoundland; a position at a mushroom spawn factory in Richmond Hill, Ontario; and housekeeping director in Crested Butte, Colorado.
Richard later spent two years serving with teams on the mission field, witnessing, teaching Bible classes, and helping establish new home churches—one in Toronto, Ontario, and another in London, Ontario. During his year in London, he met Diana, the love of his life, at a biblical research conference. At the end of his year of service in August 1991, Richard proposed to Diana, and they were married that October.
A few years later, Richard and Diana spent a year together on the mission field in Wichita, Kansas, leaving behind a thriving new home church when they departed. Today they live in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they enjoy being close to their two children, Connor and Juliana.
After joking for years that he would someday write his memoir, Richard finally sat down at the keyboard in 2022 after being challenged by Connor to make good use of some unexpected free time at the end of the school year. An Ordinary Life… well sort of is the result of nearly four years of writing, reflecting, and revisiting the many experiences that shaped his life.
Frank Ranieri is a marketing professional, media producer, and founder of Communicasting Studios, a full-service advertising and digital media agency based in St. Petersburg, Florida. With more than three decades of experience in marketing, design, and media production, he has helped businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations communicate their stories through strategic marketing, video production, web development, and brand design.
In addition to his marketing and media work, Ranieri collaborates with authors and organizations to help bring their ideas to life in published form. His work includes interior book design, layout, and production preparation for both print and digital distribution, with an emphasis on clarity, readability, and professional presentation.
Outside of his professional work, Ranieri enjoys photography, travel, and capturing meaningful stories through visual media. He remains active in his community and continues to support local organizations and businesses through creative communication and marketing initiatives.
