Jody Lee Black

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-law's, 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.