From Sally
Sally’s Eulogy _ Jody Moulton
It’s amazing to me to look out into this community gathered to celebrate Jody today. I want to thank all of you for being here to celebrate him and in support of us. It is a true testament to his character to think he was able to be connected to all of us -- yet this guy has never been on social media…. Damn.
It’s because Jody is a master connector of people. He has always had these amazing pockets of friends and it is something I admired about him. He loved it when streams crossed, and different groups met new people in his circle.
There was boat crew, Supper-club crew, Baseball crew, ‘Debacle’ crew, Work crews, Neighbor crew, friends-of-friends crew and beloved Family crew – among others. I have to say - Mark Zuckerberg has nothing on you, Jody.
As evidence here today, he touched so many lives in very special and intimate ways. I’m one of those lives he touched – very, very deeply.
It’s interesting, I’ve gotten a lot of questions over the last couple weeks from people asking about how we met and wanting me to tell our story..
Given our mutual love of food and togetherness, some of you won’t be surprised to learn that he was my waiter at a restaurant. He flirted. I flirted back. There was an immediate connection.
My bestie Loreen told me to leave him my business card. So I did. Best advice I’ve ever taken.
Jody called the very next day and we grabbed a casual lunch.
He asked what I was doing over the weekend. As much as I enjoyed our amazing time, I told him I was ‘busy’ for the rest of the weekend. I wanted to play hard to get.. and it worked!
I came into work on Monday to a beautiful email from Jody about who he was, what he was passionate about, what he wanted in life and what he wants for his future. Needless to say, I was hooked. His honesty and energy was hard to resist. It wasn’t long before we both knew we would never be apart.
Our wedding day was a lot of things – including fun and full of surprises:
We had planned to marry outdoors at the old Pops For Champaign in the city.
Our wedding day was a dark and stormy day in Chicago but to us, it was perfect. We used an umbrella and ran all over the city to have pictures taken at some of our favorite places - on Michigan ave, at Wrigley field and the Peninsula Hotel.
When we arrived at Pops for Champaign for the ceremony the wedding coordinator asked if I knew where the reverend was to facilitate the service. We did not. She called him. Guests had arrived and we were ready to go.
The Wedding planner came to us and said that she talked to the Reverend and he sadly ‘forgot’ our wedding day. It was too late to get him to the venue on time but it did not stop us.
Jody and I agreed at that moment that we had a room full of our most important people that we wanted to celebrate with. We would just get married when we got back from our honeymoon. Our wedding planner told us that their bartender, who lived up the street, just got his marriage license and could marry us in 10 min. We said YES.
By the time our new wedding officiant ran over, the stormy weather had cleared. It was perfect timing. The guests moved all of the chairs back outside for a beautiful and perfect outdoor wedding ceremony. There was a lot of clapping and cheering. I’ll never forget his uncle’s bagpipes officially ushering us into our spectacular new chapter as Husband and Wife. It was a perfect day!
Through the years we experienced a life that was happy, full of friends, festivities and adventure. Looking back I can say we made the most of our moments together. Music was the anchor as we created many spectacular memories over our 20 years together.
One of most incredible adventures Jody and I had was becoming parents. It started with the birth of our Beautiful Daughter Avery.
She has been the apple of her dad’s eye from the moment he laid eyes on her in the hospital. Like me, he also grew an extra heart the day she was born.
They danced, painted, played, built, sang and laughed. Especially laughed.
He introduced her to all things Star Wars (She WILL dominate in any trivia challenge), every single music genre known to mankind and the Chicago Cubs. He became the sound guy for everything at her grade school and was even voted ‘prom king’ at one of the school fundraisers which he never let me live down – although I rightfully took his crown… and he was ok with it.
He was on top of her sports, school work and grades (almost too much) during high school.
He had to be in the very front row to watch/critique/side-line coach during her tennis matches. It was a lil cringeworthy BUT Avery and I knew he was just doing it because he wanted her to be the best she could be… and to make sure the shots were called correctly!
He took her to Lollapalooza when she was 4… with his color coded, multi-page spreadsheet of all of the bands that he also likely passed around to all of you. Armed with his camelback full of water and his hackie-sack..which was pretty embarrassing. Who plays hackie-sack anymore? That was Jody – prepared and ready to sieze the day, fully prepared.
3 years later, along came our incredible son, Jackson. He stole Jody’s heart the second he was born and has been his ride-or-die ever since. I’ve never seen a love so great between a Father and Son. Whether Jackson liked it or not, Jody was determined to make him a MEGA Cubs, Starwars and Music fan. Well done, Jody. Well done.
Jackson quickly became Jody’s Jr. AV assistant at his grade school and was his tutor at homework weather Jackson liked it or not. When we checked Jackson’s math homework one day and saw that the answer to one of his problems was “I know this is the correct answer because I’m not stupid” .. We didn’t let Jackson see how hard we laughed and we let him turn it in as-is.
Jody became Jackson’s little league coach when Jackson was just 5 and remained his coach until Jackson was 13. They won many championships. Lost some too. I remember him spending countless hours at practices and on drills. Jody LOVED his time being a coach and developed many powerful friendships with Welles Park and Elite Baseball programs.
My apologies again to all of the families that had to sit through ONE YEAR of Cooperstown zoom planning meeting with Jody’s color coded spread sheets and assignments for all. As much as he took heat for being over organized, I think we all knew he was the man for the job and he loved every minute of it. It was one of his greatest moments to be able to share that with Jackson and his team. Jody taught Jackson many things, most of all how to be an incredible athlete and all-around great guy both on and off the field.
Those were his happiest times – being with me and his children. I’ve always loved his smile –the one when we were all together was my very favorite. We are a tight family and have become each other’s safe harbors, targets for tons of jokes, best travel companions, favorite dates, best chefs, biggest cubs fans and most of all, total music snobs – Jody being top of that list.
To me, he was my best friend, loving husband, true companion, and my full-time stand-up comedian. We laughed every.single.day. We were a great team of all things cooking, car-pooling, and everything in between.
His ringtone on my phone was the theme song to the Benny Hill Show. I answered his calls laughing before he even spoke and he just kept the jokes going. We always said I love you when we ended a call or walked out the door. Always.
I loved sitting around on a Saturday or Sunday morning and talking about how much fun we had the day or night before. With our own friends, as couples, with family or just being with each other. Each time seemed magical, and I was so happy to relive our fortunate times with LITERALLY all of you in this room.
Speaking of family – Jody had a profound love and admiration for each and every one of his family members. I am so lucky that I got to marry into this incredible family and it is NOT a secret that they all liked me better than him . He had his Dad shared a cubs/cardinals rivalry. Each year they would go to the cubs/cardinals game with Jackson, Nathaniel and Corey and roast each other all day long. Bragging rights to the winner. When Jody passed, Steve told me that he was converting to becoming an official Cubs fan.
Throughout this last week, we saw many Cardinals fly by our house and our friends’ houses. Many believe that seeing a Cardinal is a “sign” that those who have passed are with us in spirit and are sharing loving signs with us.
Ohhhhh the irony. Jody is now a Cardinal and Steve is now a Cubs Fan!
I’ve thought about these moments and things I know Jody will want us to do. Here are a few things I will now promise to do for you Jody:
*I’ll fuff every pillow, just how you wanted and tell our kids to clean up the house before company comes over.
*I’ll re-arrange the dishwasher just like you did after we would load it.
*We’ll go to as many cubs games as possible because… well, just because.
*We’ll make it to as many concerts as humanely possible – seat or no seat (even though I said I wouldn’t go unless I had a seat).
*I’ll try to stay up past midnight ( I said TRY )
*Maybe I can become a back-seat driver just like you were.
*I’ll try to travel with an obnoxiously large speaker and portable Roku.
*I do promise to be present and always ask “tell me more” or ‘Go on’ just like you did, with each of our friends.
*I’ll try to be up to date on all things global & political.
*I’ll work hard to be the most loving, caring, supportive and passionate parent to our fantastic children, just like you were.
*I’ll wear my sunglasses indoors.
AND
*I’ll learn how to make a great Manhattan. And even if I don’t say it outload, I’ll be toasting to you in my heart, Jody.
In gratitude, Jody, thank you for putting ALL of these amazing people in our path to help us forge ahead. The amount of love, help, generosity, guidance, and support has left us feeling blessed beyond measure. We feel their love and are excited to create many more memories with them. You had great taste and we are the benefactors of your carefully curated group of besties.
Lastly: Thank you for carefully building one of the most incredible and diverse music libraries for us on Spotify. We will ALWAYS turn it up to ELEVEN because in the wise words of the Mandalorian… “This Is the Way”
We love you.
From Avery
Hi everyone. If you don’t know me, I am Avery, Jody’s daughter, or as he said, his “favorite and only daughter.” I want to thank all of you for being here to support myself and my family, and especially to help us celebrate my dad. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my dad and share with you why.
Thank you dad for showing me what it meant to be a parent. I know that I'm biased, but my dad was one of the proudest parents I knew. Everyone I’ve talked to recently has told me just how proud of me and Jackson my dad was. So many amazing things made my dad the parent he was, but the pride he took in his family was second to none. I am proud that he was my dad.
Thank you dad for teaching me how to love. Whenever I walked into the house, it was without fail a “Hi Sweetheart” after a glimpse at his insanely contagious smile. He then followed by asking me about my day, carving out a few minutes to just sit and talk. Daily, he showed me, my mom, my brother, and everyone he knew how much he truly loved them. Whoever dad interacted with, he always started with asking them about themselves. He never, ever, spoke of himself unless prompted. He was a selfless lover and made sure we were as well. His love was one of the most reassuring things in the world. I never left a room without him telling me he loved me. Of course I said it right back. The last thing I had actually told my dad while he was leaving home was that I loved him.
Thank you dad for helping me to be my best. Dad cherished so much, but especially the gift of education. He always pushed me to be my best, to do my best whenever I could. Dad was the hardest worker I knew. He continuously inspires me to be the same. I am forever grateful for everything he taught me. He created a house full of support and love that always reminded me to surround myself with the same. Dad knew how to make me laugh, how to speak to me as to make me feel important, how to care for me, how to relate to me, and so much more. He gave me what I needed to succeed. He did everything under the sun with passion, and so will I.
Thank you dad for showing us the importance of staying organized. As many of you know, our house stays spotless. This is because my dad turns into a fire Marshall 10 minutes before guests arrive. There’s this YouTube short, named company’s coming, that dad made a reality in our household. He has shared with us all of his tips and tricks though teaching moments, as we like to call them. Teaching moments can be anything from backseat driving about parallel parking for the 30th time, practicing his sommelier skills on everyone at the thanksgiving dinner table, to making sure everyone taps to music at the right beat. As sick of these “teaching moments” we all were, we learned a lot from dad. Who's ever been on vacation with my dad has surely received a spreadsheet from him. Whether it was vacations, my college process, or groceries, dad made a spreadsheet for it. As redundant as it was, his dedication to staying organized for everyone else is inspirational.
It goes without saying, my dad was a superhero. He is my superhero. To compare him to one, though, I would choose Superman. Superman is described as having superhuman powers—incredible strength, the ability to leap distances, and super hearing. Dad is our rock, he keeps our family strong. He uses his incredible strength to protect us all. He leaps distances to connect everyone in his life. The support system of friends and family he left us with is incredible. Last but not least, it is said superman could hear sound at almost any wavelength and at great distances. I know you will still be listening and I will still be hearing you, Dad.
Thank you dad for bringing music into my world. As we all know, my dad was the music expert. I’m sure he has enlightened you all on his opinions of countless music genres. Music meant the world to him, it was the second love of his life. I am forever grateful he instilled his love for music in us. I don't even think I have the words to describe how greatly he loved it. Our house is never quiet, music volume while on car rides is never under level 10. Dinner was never eaten without jazz playing in the background and vacations were never without his massive speaker. I am forever grateful that I can say I’ve attended Lollapalooza almost every summer of my life, have seen live music once every two months, and have been to countless concerts with my dad. This is all because of him. He showed me that music can be an outlet, and I’m so happy that he found that for himself. Dad left us with hours upon hours of playlists to listen to, yet I think I have over 100 songs of his that come to mind that I will cherish forever. Whether it’s hearing a song that reminds me of dad or a playlist I can make for dad, music reminds me to cherish him forever.
Dad left me with so much more to cherish, but this is all I want to share today. I know every single one of you has just as much to cherish about him as well. It’s nice to be in a room of people who love my dad so greatly. Dad’s time was cut too short. Ours isn't. Although never guaranteed, we have time left. I want to use this time to hear stories about my dad that I might’ve not heard before. I could talk about my dad for weeks, honestly, and I know you all can too. I want to carry his experiences and memories on. Please, tell me and Jackson your stories. I can't wait to get together, drink some wonderful wine (when I'm 21), eat the most amazing food, and hear them. That’s what dad would want.
Let’s be what dad would want. I love you, dad.
From Jackson
"Things We Loved" by Jackson
My Dad shared a lot of himself with me. He was a BIG part of my life. In fact, he was EVERYTHING to me.
We share a deep love for the Chicago Cubs, for baseball, listening to music, spending time with friends and family, cooking, going on vacation, watching sports, Star Wars and of course, Lord of the Rings.
In one word, my Dad was a Jokester. He was the King of the Dad jokes. To give you just one example of his recurring jokes - he would ask me: “What do you call a cow with no arms and legs?” And then after laughing to himself he would reply, “Ground beef.”
He was often channeling his best Dave Chappelle.
He LOVED music and always listened to Frank Zappa or My Morning Jacket. As the sound would blast he would randomly laugh and have a huge smile on his face thinking about music we were listening to.
It was not clear to me if it was the lyrics or something else that would make him smile. I would always laugh with him because I didn’t know what to say and felt like I needed to go along with it. The truth is – his laughter was contagious.
He did not just love music – he loved getting the right sound. If we had rental cars he would always play “tell me I’m the only one”. He didn’t do this because he liked the actual song, he did this to tune the stereo… As he would say – “We gotta really dial it in.”
He brought his love of music and sound to my school. He volunteered to make sure the audio was right there too. He was known as the “AV guy”.
When it came to baseball, my Dad knew everything. He loved teaching me and my buddies all there was to know about the sport.
He followed every farm system, every minor league, every up-and-coming player. He was able to predict greatness very early.
He was our baseball coach for many years. You are probably wondering what he was like as a coach. Let’s just say he was a little aggressive.
After every game, there was a critique to follow in the car. At first he’d be quiet, but he’d always want to get into how I could get better.
When he coached third base, he would sometimes wave in players to home plate that had no chance of being safe. He loved the competitive part of baseball and pushing everyone to be better.
One time when I was at the batting cages pitching to Dad, he sat on a bucket because he didn’t want to kneel the entire time. I used to love throwing it at his feet so he would have to bend over and throw it back. He would bend over and a smile, knowing full well I was trying to make him work for it. It always made me laugh.
During drills in fall ball, he’d make a “blue steel” face as only he could. I would ask him why he was making that face. He said, “I never really noticed.” It’s a look I will never forget.
One of my favorite places to travel with him was to Cooperstown with our team. We were so excited to go visit and play there. It was fun to have him as my coach and stay in the bunks. I’ll always remember that.
My Dad took us to visit baseball parks across the country. I think we visited at least 12 different baseball parks in all. Our favorite one is still Wrigley Field.
My Dad loved vacations and so do I. We took all sorts of trips. I think my favorite trip was to Italy – we had a lot of pasta, steak and pizza.
I’ll always remember how much he loved being the cook…and I loved being his sous chef. We’d go to the store and get food together and then prep the meal. When it came time to dive in, he was a painfully slow eater and he loved watching everyone enjoy his creation.
I have so many other memories to share about our time together, Dad. But I want to close by thanking you for being such a BIG part of my life. . . And don’t worry - I’ll never stop saying Go Cubs.