Joseph James Bodell Jr.

JOSEPH JAMES BODELL, JR. Providence: Bodell, Joseph James, Jr., (Joe) passed away at 88 on November 5, 2006, surrounded by his family. He died of complications related to a recent fall. Mr. Bodell was born on August 1, 1918 in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was raised and spent most of his life. He resided in Osterville, Massachusetts and Vero Beach, Florida. He is survived by his loving wife, Jane Bayne Bodell. He is also survived by his brother, Stanley Cozzens Bodell and Stan's wife, Patricia; by his three children, Robin Aldred Bodell Fisher, her husband, Henry Johnson Fisher II, and their daughter Morgan; Christine Cozzens Bodell and her daughters, Davis Wolff, Marisa Bodell Stuelpnagel, her husband Simran, and Tessa Bodell; and Joseph James Bodell III, and his daughters, Brisa and Dakota; and by his two step children, Elizabeth Bayne Curtis and her husband, William Gale Curtis V, and their sons, William VI, Samuel and Jonathan; Samuel Gamble Bayne II and Katie Joklik Bayne and their sons, Samuel and Andrew. He was predeceased by his parents, Joseph and Marie Bodell, his three sisters, Mary Sloane Bodell, Jean Bodell Bailey Tweedy, and Marguerite Bodell Wheeler, as well as his beloved first wife, Patricia Aldred Bodell. Mr. Bodell attended the Fay School, Kent School and proudly received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1941. While at Harvard, he was a member of the NROTC, and received his orders upon graduation. He served primarily in the Pacific theatre, first on the USS Wasp which was sunk while he was on board, and later on the USS Bunker Hill which was severely disabled. Mr. Bodell was always ready to regale any willing listeners with stories from this most influential time in his life. He achieved the rank of lieutenant commander by the end of the War. Upon his return, he received his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1948. After Business School, Mr. Bodell returned to Providence and joined the family business, Investors Trust Company, and its successor, Providence Investors Company, of which he was president until he retired at 73 in 1991. Mr. Bodell was an avid golfer and fisherman, spending almost every summer weekend on Cape Cod on the golf course and on Nantucket Sound, searching for bluefish on his pride and joy, the Kalawahine. He also skiied with his family into his early 60's at Sugarbush, Vermont. Another favorite avocation was Harvard football for which he had season tickets, and his fall weekends revolved around that team's schedule. He was a member of The Hope Club, where he played backgammon every weekday lunch, and the Agawam Hunt in Providence, the Wianno Club and the Wianno Yacht Club in Osterville, the Moorings Club and the Riomar Country Club in Vero Beach and the Harvard Club of Boston. In later years, he particularly enjoyed playing golf on courses throughout the country as a member of the United States Seniors' Golf Association. There will be a private burial preceding a memorial service at St. Stephens Church in Providence at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, November 8th. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mr. Bodell's memory may be made either to Harvard University, Planned Giving Office, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02158-5795, or Kent School, Alumni Office, P.O. Box 2006, Kent Connecticut 06757.