Sonia Chase Hodson died on March 17 after a lifetime of laughter, curiosity, and an affinity for all living things. She was 97.

Sonia was born to Stuart Chase and Margaret Hatfield on Feb. 21, 1920 in Washington D.C. and then lived in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., where she attended the progressive Hessian Hills School, founded by her parents.

She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. in 1942.

After graduation, she spent time in California, working for Lockheed as a welder of fuel tanks for the P-38 airplane used in World War II. Sonia was a sculptor, a jewelry maker, and a builder of spiritual gardens, where friends found peace, tranquility, and the opportunity to honor the earth. She spent summers at her Quansoo house in Chilmark from 1971 to 2001.

She was predeceased by her husband, William Hodson, who worked for UNESCO in France and died in a plane crash returning to the United States in 1954. She and her three young children then left Versailles and returned to the United States, living in Hollin Hills, Alexandria, Va.

Sonia met her partner of many years, William Enoch, in 1978 at Findhorn Community in Scotland, and they eventually moved to Abiquiu, N.M., where they had lived since 1992. Sonia and Bill traveled the world together, with a focus on learning the history of other cultures, visiting ancient cathedrals, and studying the early culture and history of England and Scotland. In later years, it became a life mission to honor the land, culture, and history of Abiquiu and the Southwest.

She leaves her partner of 38 years, William Enoch; a son, William Alan Hodson of Putney, Vt., and a daughter, Anika Hodson of Abiquiu, N.M. She also leaves six grandchildren: Bryce Hodson and his wife, Louise; Nicholas Hodson and his wife, Tara; and Phoebe Hodson, all of Putney; Kieran Maloney and his partner, Natalie Rentz, of Sonoma, Calif.: Owen Maloney and his wife, Erica, of West Tisbury; and Russell Hodson, of West Tisbury. She also leaves four great-grandchildren: Isabella and Eliza Hodson and Leona and Ruth Maloney.

She was predeceased by her brother, Robert Chase. She was also predeceased by her daughter, Kristin Maloney, of Chilmark.

A memorial service for friends and family will take place at a later date.