Jody Lynn (Moser) May

Jody (Moser) May, 49, beloved wife of Joseph, and mother to Cabot and James, passed peacefully from this earth on February 17, 2021, following a long-fought battle with Huntington’s Disease.
Jody came into this world, the fifth child of Jacqueline and Lawrence Moser, on August 13, 1971 in Guttenberg, IA, where she spent most of her childhood. When her mother’s own illness with Huntington’s progressed, Jody, along with her younger brother, Francis, moved to Phillips, WI in 1987. She was welcomed wholeheartedly into the community of Phillips where her brother Bradley Moser (Mary Willett) and his family took over the honor of raising her to adulthood. After graduation from Phillips High School in 1989, she attended the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse, earning a BA in Business and Spanish in 1994.

From a young age, Jody developed an interest in far-off places. While in college and graduate school, she studied in both Valladolid, Spain and Copenhagen, Denmark. She also traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, most notably a long-awaited trek to Machu Picchu which she made in 2001 with her niece, Nicole.

Jody was driven by her love of people from all backgrounds and cultures, and lived her life in service of others. This was best exemplified by her work as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador from 1995 to 1997. It was during this time that she made her most devoted, life-long friends. After finishing her service in the Peace Corps, she attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, receiving her MBA in International Business and the coveted Nielson Scholarship in 2001. Her professional career took her to Kansas City, MO where she landed a job at Hallmark Cards, working in the Spanish Cards Division. Ever quick to adapt, she embraced Kansas City as her new home and soon, thereafter, met the love of her life, Joe, with whom she was united in marriage on March 13, 2004.

Jody was best known for her contagious laugh and witty sense of humor. Indeed, she brought joy to every life she touched. Her love for family was unmatched, and her sweet smile and generosity will live forever in the hearts and minds of all she knew and loved. She has inspired countless others with her strong will to live and determination to find a cure for Huntington’s. An avid runner, she completed a marathon in 2012 even as she was battling the first stages of the disease. She participated in the annual HDSA 5K Run fundraiser in Kansas City and the annual Re-Prom in Madison, WI. She also volunteered her time as a parent helper at her son’s school and was an active member of the Grace Episcopal Church. Of her many accomplishments, she was most proud of being a mother.

She is survived by her husband of 17 years, Joseph May, their two sons; Cabot and James; her four siblings, Bradley Moser, Bob (Sue) Moser, Clay (Kim) Moser, and Barbara (Dominic) Shannon, along with nieces and nephews Nicole Moser, Megan Eisel, Kelsey Moser, Jason Scott, Carrie Patrick, Sarah Milosoff, Amanda Moser, Jacqueline Moser, Dean Moser and Francesca Moser; her sister-in-law Mary Willett and the entire May family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Jacqueline Moser, her brother, Francis Moser, and her twins, Ruby and Jacob May.

There will be an open visitation from at McGilley Antioch Chapel, 3325 NE Vivion Rd, Kansas City, MO 64119 on February 23, 2021 from 5-7pm. A private Celebration of Life will be held at Grace Episcopal Church in Liberty, MO on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. A virtual link will be available at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (https://HDSA.org/get-involved/tribute-memorial-donations/) or Grace Episcopal Church in Liberty, MO.