Jody May Richards

A native of Rochester, N.Y., and a longtime resident of the Birmingham area, Jody was 68. Throughout her life, she had a flare for the luscious and the lovely, experimenting – frequently to good results - with cooking, planting, and decorating. Never for one for pretense and snobbery, she had an unstinting devotion to her children and grandchildren and a caring loyalty to friends.

The first-born child of Gerald Lee and Beatrice Fox Robenstein, Jody moved to Alabama in 1981, where she was a partner in a sportswear manufacturing business, JMR Sports. She continued to work in the apparel business off and on, and later became the head of the floral department at the Publix Supermarket in Mountain Brook. She lived for decades in Pleasant Grove, where she also raised two sons, Scott and Ben, both of whom came to call her not Mom, but Jody. In the years to come, their spouses would do the same thing.

Besides her sons, her survivors include her daughters-in-law, Heather Richards and Nicole Richards, both of Homewood; her grandchildren, Destiny Wade, Cooper Casey, Luke Richards, Zoe Richards, Lola Richards and Beck Richards; a sister, Karen Williams, and a brother-in-law, Lynn H. Williams, both of Rochester.

A celebration of Jody’s life will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 20, at the Homewood Senior Center, 816 Oak Grove Road, Homewood, AL 35209. Those planning to come should RSVP to [email protected].

It will be no surprise to those who knew Jody that food and drink will be served at the celebration. If circumstances were different, it’s possible that the fare would include cakes and casseroles from Jody’s tiny French-decorated kitchen, with dining tables bearing floral centerpieces of her design. Anyone who knew Jody well could hardly be excused for thinking that the oven, stove and counter in her kitchen were never empty, except during the hours when she was asleep. Her kitchen certainly was a place of experimentation, discovery and delight, and her life outside her kitchen was that as well.

The list of those on the receiving end of Jody’s culinary kindnesses is too long to include in this space, but some examples merit a mention.

Some years back, after she took up cajun and zydeco dancing, Jody took it upon herself to bake cakes to feed hungry dancers and musicians at the monthly dances of the Birmingham Association of Cajun Music Enthusiasts. When two of her dancing friends got married, she helped put together their wedding cake.

Another time, while on her first and only visit to a European country, Jody was staying at the home of a French family. While her hosts were away at work, Jody prepared a multi-course dinner for them, making herself at home in their kitchen and decorating the dinner table with a floral bouquet. Jody instinctively knew that good food, when prepared with a welcoming warmth, can bring people together, during good times and bad, and that it can even help forge new friendships. And the friendships that she and her cooking forged on that trip to France endure to this day.

An enduring friendship also is based on candor, and Jody was known to speak her mind when she felt the situation called for it. She did not seek to force her opinions on someone, but if her opinion was asked, she would give it, in plain, straightforward language. If something pleased her, she would often say, “That’s nice.” When something seemed just plain goofy, she would say it was “cuckoo-nuts.”

After hearing of Jody’s passing, one of her French friends said she would plant something beautiful and lasting in her honor. That is what Jody’s family is asking of those who wish to pay tribute to her.