We met the Moultons at Haas Park in Logan Square when our kids were babies and toddlers and as many agree, it's easy to be friends with Sally and Jody. Jody made you feel like the most interesting person in the room, but only because HE was the most interesting person in the room! Our kids, similar in ages, also became fast friends, and one President's Day weekend in 2013, they invited us to take our kids skiing in Galena---and our kids were all under the age of 6. We had the best time, even amid ski schools and overheating in coats and cold toes. It was so fun and set off a tradition of ski trips every President's Day weekend since then. We graduated from Galena to Crystal Mountain in Michigan for several years, and then, when the kids were all nearly teenagers, we ventured west to Big Sky, Montana. It was an adventure!
Beyond the time on the mountains, Jody always set the mood for Apres' Ski--awesome music, good cocktails, food simmering away on the stove. Cards would get shuffled, and kids and adults would all just be in the same room, enjoying the company and laughing non-stop. I just always appreciated how Jody made you feel--and how the details of the scene were important. The music was always right, the stage was always set for time together. What a gift that is!As our daughter Jane said after his passing, "We were a great 8." We had so much fun as two families together.
Jody also always made our kids feel special. He had a friendship with each of them, interested in their activities, forming inside jokes with both of them and meeting them where they were in their lives. He was like an uncle, and what a gift to any child. He never treated them like his friends' kids...they were truly his friends too. Jason and I are so thankful for that and he taught them so much about friendship. He was the same with my parents, having met them on a few occasions, and again, engaging with them as individuals, following up by sending my dad a book he thought he'd like after a particular conversation on a certain topic. Jody set the example of what it is to be a friend.
Jody will be forever missed. He leaves a hole that feels like it will never close, but damn are we all so thankful for the gift of him in our lives.
Well said, Lynn. The details were always so important. We remain " A great 8".