Jody Ellen Cromer

Jody DeBerry Cromer 

1948-2024

Our Beloved Jody DeBerry Cromer went to be with the Lord on September 14, 2024 with her husband, Mike and daughter, Michele at her side.

Born Jody Ellen to Joe and Vedena DeBerry in Burnet, Texas on November 11, 1948, the second of six children with Lynn the eldest, then Jody, Nancy, Nora, Neil, and Sally. Lynn, Jody and Nancy were all born in Texas prior to the family moving to California in 1955. Though Jody lived most her life in California she was always a Texas Girl at heart.

The family’s cross- country journey in July of 1955 brought them to the quaint oceanside community of Carpinteria, California. Joe worked on and offshore in the Oil industry to provide for his family. Jody and the rest of her siblings found this majestic town to be the start of many wonderful family memories. When she was not in school or church, she and her siblings loved swimming in the surf, playing in the sand, hunting for sea shells or walking the beach. Her childhood in Carpinteria shaped her life’s love of the beach and never- ending love of watching the breaking waves and surf surrounding her. In her later years she would always find time to eat lunch at the beach or make a special stop at the end of her day to take in the fresh ocean air and rekindle the memories of her childhood. 

With the eldest daughter Lynn leaving the roost to start her own family in 1960, Joe found he needed a larger home for his now family of seven who had outgrown their small Carpinteria home. They found the perfect home on the East end of Ventura, California. Joe traveled back and forth while working in the Taft, California oilfields while Vedena held the household together in Ventura. Jody would graduate from Buena High school in 1967 and move to an apartment with her high school girlfriends. It was on September 9th of that summer that she met Michael Cromer, a young apprentice tool and die maker from Ojai. It was love at first sight for both of them. They were married on February 9, 1968 and lived in a beach home in the Pierpont district of Ventura. After the horrific floods of January and February of 1969 they moved to Ojai to assist Mike’s mother in rebuilding her family business, Bodee’s.

 Jody and Mike were a young, active and lively couple who brought fun and excitement to the lives of those around them. Shortly after moving to Ojai, they bought their first home, a small tract house in a cozy neighborhood. In August of 1971 their only child arrived, Michele Shannon Cromer. The mother-daughter bond between them not only grew but flourished over the years. Jody and Mike were always active in the community and some of their fondest memories were the lifelong friends they met as Ojai Optimist Club members in the 1970’s.

Jody’s love for life, her family and friends, was insatiable. She enjoyed vacations with family and friends skiing and snowmobiling at Wilsonia Lodge in Kings Canyon, water skiing at Lake Nacimiento, white water rafting on the Colorado river, house boating on Lake Powell and Lake Shasta, dirt bike riding at Ballinger Canyon in the Cuyama Valley, entertaining at her beautiful Rancho Grande in Rose Valley, frequent trips to one of her favorite places, City of Avalon on Catalina Island and fishing in Cabo San Lucas on the After Midnight with Captain Pepe.

She especially enjoyed these adventurous days when accompanied by her grandchildren Jacob, Michael and Matthew who she loved dearly. Attending their school events, volunteering at school and most especially their sporting events so she could root them on was always something she looked forward to.

Jody was always a favorite with the employees of MTI, Bodee’s Restaurant and Quail Run Ranch as she deeply cared about each of them and to many was a second Mom. She loved assisting Michele with events where her eye for design and detail thrived. Her beautiful Quail Run Ranch was very dear to her, in the early days she and her siblings helped hand plant most of the ranch’s original avocado trees. Her father loved the ranch as well and started his own garden amongst the young trees. 

 A loyal friend and a mentor to many, dedicating her life to encouraging and supporting others. Beautiful inside and out, her poise, patience, kindness and loyalty were always evident. The kind and loving demeanor of a woman of charm, grace and charisma. To friends and family she was a spiritual leader, baptized in her early teens and fervently serving the Lord ever thereafter. 

 Always a strong advocate for justice with a strong sense of right and wrong. She had high standards and expected that of others. An exceptionally talented lady with a wonderful eye for interior and landscape design and steadfast pursuit of perfection was evident in her coordination of weddings, special events and theme parties. 

 For the past thirty plus years she always looked forward to the Ventura County Fair livestock auction. Her lifelong friend Chris Roe was always at her side. She cherished her #9 auction card number as it went way back. She and Chris would separate and bid up the price for the kid’s animals while always buying a few themselves or doing add on’s for the kids who they felt should have received more for their animals. If you are considering doing something in Jody’s memory, a trip to next year’s livestock auction might be in order, she will be thanking you!

 She is survived by her husband Mike, her daughter Michele, son-in-law Wade and grandsons Jacob, Michael and Matthew Bentivolio. Her siblings, Lynn Joy, Nancy (Larry) Winfrey, Nora (Tony) Bolivar, Neil (Denise) DeBerry and Sally (Gary) Thompson and many dearly loved nieces, nephews.

The family is thankful for the kind and loving care Jody received from the CMH Palliative Care Team, CMH staff and Livingston Hospice Care Team. 

Arrangements are under the care of Perez Family Funeral Home

3150 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, California 

A Memorial service on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 11:00 AM

at Ojai Presbyterian Church, 304 Foothill Road, Ojai, CA

Please join us for a Celebration of Life at 2:00 PM at the Pacific Corinthian

Yacht Club, 2600 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035 ~ No Children Please