Jodi Ann Sours-Grant

There are a lot of words that are really hard to define because they are used to describe a human emotion. The word “funny” is subjective, like “beautiful," or “kind," or “generous," “exciting," “crazy," “creative," or “sensitive.” We all know what these words mean, but when we say them or think about them, each one of us is going to have a different picture light up in our hearts.

Jodi was all of these things and so much more. Mother, wife, daughter, cousin, sister, friend. If you were to walk into any restaurant or diner in the greater Cleveland area and ask a random server or host about the last time they talked to Jodi, there is a good chance that person will light up and use one or more of those words. Beautiful, kind, hilarious, generous, crazy… you might even get an “oh my god!” followed by laughter and no real words. To meet Jodi was to instantly become her best friend. It didn’t just stop at food service either - picture a sixteen-year-old kid working at a pet store eventually loving her and adopting her as a 2nd mom.

Pride and family are the two words that could best describe Jodi. There is a good chance that on top of one of those words we used to describe our emotions, the many random people you ask about her will call her mom, or Aunt Jodi. She loved being mom. She loved being a sister, she loved being a daughter, she loved being a caretaker, she loved being a friend. She loved everyone.

Her son was her joy, her happiness. She would drive him crazy, and it would make her so happy. She would randomly see a picture of him and her entire soul would light up. Her son and his fiancé, collectively known as “the kids,” filled her heart. To Jodi, being a mom was the definition of a life well lived. When you look at how amazing this young person she created turned out and the family he is starting, there is no question she left us without a regret in the world.

The whole world is at a loss, not just emotionally, but physically as well. Her acts of charity and kindness eventually went from raising a son who was volunteering in the community by the age of five to creating and running a licensed 501c3 charity of her own. The role of “daughter” led her to step up and create FU Cancer (sic) when her mother-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer. Brands and people alike loved working with her.

It’s easy to be sad at such a huge loss, but it is important to understand that Jodi had such a huge impact on so many people. She will never truly be gone. She lives in all of us; her influence and love will forever exist in all the lives that she touched. From her sister/best friend and the time they spent taking care of animals and people alike while exploring and finding new family members, to her kid in Wisconsin and her sister and nieces in California and the thousands of people right here at home she called family, Jodi is still very much alive and will be for a very long time. Take the time to grieve, then put on your favorite Chicago song, and remember what she taught us: get out there, meet new people, be a little crazy, and keep her love alive.