Jodi LaVohn was born Mary Joyce McCandless on June 6, 1939, in Arcadia, TX. She was welcomed by her parents, Robert B. McCandless and Reva Sue Jones McCandless, as well as older brothers Bob and John. A few years later, she became a big sister to Jim. Her years growing up were happy times. Jodi and her brothers helped out on the turkey farm and the dairy where their father worked. Even though money was sometimes tight, she enjoyed going to movies and watching heroes like Roy Rogers and Lash LaRue. Jodi had an active high school life. She played clarinet in the school band, where she was also a twirler. Encouragement from her teachers gave her a life-long passion for writing, and she served as the poet laureate for her high school, penning poems for the high school newspaper. She was popular in school, though when she changed to a new high school, she allegedly took revenge on a group of mean girls who had harassed her by stealing their boyfriends. After graduating from Hutto High School, she held entry-level clerking positions before eventually entering the field that would define her professional life: insurance adjusting. As a woman in a male-dominated field, she worked twice as hard to be quick, efficient, accurate, and professional in her dealings with customers. In the 1970s, she became one of the firstpossibly the firstfemale outside adjusters in her area of the state. Her territory took her all over East Texas from Paris to Palestine, logging mile after mile in her yellow Ford Fiesta. She often described the customers reactions when she pulled into their driveway and introduced herself. Well, whens the man going to come look at our roof theyd ask, and shed smile and say, Youre looking at him. Now show me the best spot to put my ladder. She enjoyed shepherding along new recruits and showing them how to write an auto estimate or calculate the cost of replacing a roof, and many adjusters she worked with considered her to go-to for tough questions about coverage. Even after she retired, she would occasionally be called back into service for storm troopingwhen insurance companies hire additional workers to deal with the ravages of a major storm, such as Hurricane Katrina. In her free time, Jodi loved writing. She had at least one song recorded and published, as well as numerous poems and amusing articles in various magazines. She wrote a piece that was published in the newspaper about the work done with the homeless and destitute by a group called Irving Cares. And she self-published two novellas, one about intrigue in the coal mining industry and one about a lonely dog trying to find a home. Words had always captivated her, as anyone who has ever played Scrabble or Words With Friends with her well knows. She was an avid reader her entire life, and she maintained her passion for writing until the end. Jodi was married to Larry Lee LaVohn, from Athens, TX, and, later in life, to Dr. John F.G. Kowalzik, both of whom preceded her in death. As a single mom, she worked hard to balance the demands of her career with her active involvement in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Like many parents, she loved to talk about the successes of her kidshow her daughter Teri became a small business owner and professional success, how her son Rob became a teacher and a writerwithout realizing how her own personal and professional efforts had paved the way for them. In retirement, she took special pleasure in the lives of her three grandsons, Taylor, Jared, and Aaron, especially when it came to hearing them play and sing. As Mamaw to Taylor, she was a cook and chauffeur for his after school activities and gave him valuable life advice in between teasing him. As Grandmom to Jared and Aaron, she loved writing goofy notes in emails and spending time on holidays in person or on Skype, and she enjoyed getting to see them more after they moved to Texas. She was especially fond of big family vacations to the beach or amusement parks. Jodi was active in her community as well, founding the Band Booster Club at Cross Roads ISD, an organization that, in its first year, raised enough money to buy new uniforms for the entire band. She also served in various capacities as a member of several churches, serving as a Sunday School teacher and nursery worker. While the decline in her health in later years made attending services difficult, she loved New Beginnings Fellowship and felt at home there. She enjoyed spending time with her neighbors, especially Jan Fanning, who made an effort to meet regularly with her for lunches. She was well-known at the local Olive Garden, which was always her choice for the birthday dinners she shared with her family, and she will be greatly missed at Rudys Mexican Restaurant, where she was one of their most faithful customers. Jodi touched thousands of lives. She is remembered fondly by nieces and nephews, by friends and co-workers, by in-laws, (and yes, by probably a few outlaws), by family members and those she made feel like family. Her departure takes a little bit of laughter out of the lives of those who knew her, but it adds her singular spark of joy to those in heaven who have been awaiting her arrival. The family will receive friends at Donnelly's Colonial Funeral home on Tuesday, November 7th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Funeral service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, at New Beginnings Fellowship Church, 709 W. Midway, Euless, TX 76039. Pastor Tim Hall will officiate. Burial to follow at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, TX. Flowers may be sent to Donnelys Colonial Funeral Home, 606 West Airport Freeway, Irving, TX; donations may be sent to New Beginnings Fellowship Mid-Cities, in Euless, or Irving Cares. SERVICES

Visitation

Tuesday, November 07, 2017 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Donnelly's Colonial Funeral Home 606 West Airport Freeway Irving, Texas 75062

Funeral Service

Wednesday, November 08, 2017 2:00 PM

New Beginnings Fellowship 709 West Midway Euless, TX 76039