Jody Lee (Elwood) Black was born on July 23, 1963, to Robert Neal and
Norma Jean (Michals) Elwood in McCook, Nebraska and gained her wings on
June 20, 2022, at the age of 58.
She grew up on a farm outside of Wilsonville, Nebraska, with her 6
siblings where you’d find her outside most of the time riding horses,
tantalizing her sister Susan with cats, helping her mom and sisters
dress chickens, and playing with the animals especially the German
Shepard puppies her mom would raise. She avoided inside chores as much
as possible. During the summer, it was her and younger brother Kyle’s
job to bring the milk cows from the pasture every afternoon and take
them back across the creek to pasture the next morning. She had many
fond memories growing up on the farm and had said many times she wished
her kids could have been so lucky.
She attended K-7th grade in Wilsonville baptized at the Christian
Church of Wilsonville before transferring her membership to the United
Methodist Church in Oberlin where her family moved in 1976. Her faith
was very important to her and gave her great comfort during her years of
dealing with kidney cancer. She participated in all sports and
especially loved throwing the shot put and discus in track where she
held the Decatur Community High School records for many years and earned
two state medals before graduating from DCHS in 1981.
On February 21, 1982, Jody married the love of her life and high
school sweet-heart, Kenny Black. They lived their married life in
Oberlin and were blessed with two amazing children, Chelsey, and Jobey.
Vacations were something very important to her and she planned a family
getaway each summer. She and Kenny also spent weekends at their trailer
at Red Willow Lake north of McCook and entertained many relatives and
friends over the years but the best memories were spent with their kids
and especially their grandchildren, Paisley, Taydem, Kreightyn and
Nashlynn. They had many fun weekends fishing, boating, skiing, tubing,
going for walks and making s’mores.
Jody and Kenny loved to fish and
their vacations without the kids usually included a fishing trip in
places like San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean and on the Columbia
River in Oregon where they caught huge sturgeon. Jody loved to travel
and persuaded Kenny to drive several times to the west coast to her
favorite destination, The Oregon Coast and had also driven to the east
coast to visit Cape Cod, New York City, Boston, and Canada accompanied
by her sister Char who often traveled with them. She often invited
younger sister Sandi or one of her nieces to accompany them on vacation.
Kenny and Jody raised Labrador Retrievers for many years, and she
loved spending weekends at HRC Hunt Tests and was especially proud when
Kenny earned his first championship title. Paisley and Taydem went with
them and decided they could do what Grandpa did needless to say she was a
very proud Grandma when they both earned their started titles on their
pups.
Jody had a career in banking that spanned over 40 years beginning
her senior year of high school she started as a teller/bookkeeper and
later a Consumer Loan Officer for Farmers National Bank in Oberlin where
she worked until they sold. She and a coworker/ friend Mick Glaze
successfully convinced the Atwood banker Barney Horton to start a branch
of Farmer Bank & Trust in Oberlin which she served as Branch
Manager and COO for 18 years before deciding she needed a new challenge
and began as a Residential Real-estate Lender at MNB Bank in McCook
where she was working at the time of her death. She cherished the
friendships she’d made while working at those institutions and stayed
close over the years with many co-workers. Jody enjoyed decorating and
flower arranging and loved to share her talent with others especially
her family and friends. She was a very private person and her best
friend of many years, Jane Gilliam, after many futile attempts finally
gave up trying to get her to join social clubs.
Jody is survived by her husband, Kenny Black, Oberlin, daughter,
Chelsey and Leigh Zodrow, Arapahoe, NE, son, Jobey and Kylee Black,
Phillipsburg, KS, grandchildren, Paisley, Taydem and Kreightyn Zodrow
and Nashlynn Black. Siblings, Charlene Springer, Lebanon, NE, Mike
(Jacque) Elwood Hickman, NE, Danny Elwood, Oberlin, KS, Susan Wilson,
Omaha, NE, Kyle (Jill) Elwood, Salina, KS and Sandi (Monty) McLain,
Perryton, TX. In-Laws, Sharon Black, sister-in-laws, Jean (Byron) Hale
and Carla (David) Depperschmidt all of Oberlin, KS as well as many
nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends.
She was
preceded in death by her parents Neal and Norma Elwood, grandparents,
Henry and Grace Michals, Tom and Florence Elwood and brother-in-law Lyle
Springer, father-in-law Lyman Black.
Funeral services will be held on June 23, 2022, at 10:00 AM at the
United Methodist Church of Oberlin. Visitation will be on June 22, 2022, from 1:00 - 7:00 PM at Pauls Funeral Home with family receiving guests
from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Burial will be in Oberlin Cemetery. Memorial
contributions may be made to United Methodist Church of Oberlin.
Condolences can be left at www.paulsfh.com.