James Bodi

MADISON - James E. Bodi, P.E., died at home on May 18, 2018, after living with Parkinson's Disease for 14 years. Jim was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1937, then moved to Toledo, Ohio. His family lived in the "projects," which he thought was great because there were always other kids to play with. During World War II, while Jim's father was in Germany, Jim loved sending him drawings of various types of fighter planes. This grew into a hobby of putting together model airplanes, a pastime he shared with his son. When Jim was 14, he got a job in a service station, where he learned to drive. He later came to enjoy taking cars apart and putting them back together. Who can forget the 1958 Triumph TR3?

Jim attended the UW-Madison, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. While at the UW, he worked in the Primate Laboratory under the direction of noted psychologist Harry Harlow, who studied the bond between infant monkeys and their mothers.

Jim was a member of Navy ROTC. He learned to smoke Lucky Strikes while on a Navy ship. Fortunately, he learned to stop smoking when he quit in October 1967, and never looked back.

He was also a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. It was during Jim's junior year of college that he met the beautiful Judith Mouty, whom he would later marry.

After graduation, Jim worked for Oscar Mayer Foods as an industrial engineer, eventually becoming a licensed Professional Engineer. He later worked at Graber Manufacturing and finally opened his own successful consulting firm. His specialty was mailroom design and materials handling. Jim was a past president of the Wisconsin chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and a member of the Madison Engineering Council. He was an early proponent of gender diversity in engineering, although it was an uphill battle.

Jim was an avid sailor. The first sailboat was a wooden, racing class Lightning from the 1940s. Jim went out to buy a used canoe and came home with the sailboat. It was not exactly sea-worthy, so it became that summer's family project. As he told Judy, "it's not leaking, the seams just need to swell." Eventually, they upgraded to more comfortable sailboats and the family spent most vacations on the water.

Jim is survived by Judy, his wife of 56 years. He is also survived by his children Lynn (John O'Connell), Lisa and Paul (Stacey). He was proud of his grandchildren, John O'Connell, Patrick O'Connell, Alaina Bodi and Talia Bodi. He is also survived by his sister, Anne Fracassa (Angelo), and brother, John (Marie-José), as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Mary Bodi, and his cousin and godmother, Lucille Grow.

A Mass of Christian Burial, celebrated by Father Robert Evenson and Monsignor John Dewane, will be held at ST. MARIA GORETTI CHURCH, at 11:00 a.m. on May 25, 2018, with visitation at the church from10:00 a.m. until the time of the Mass.

Memorials may be made to St. Maria Goretti Parish or Agrace Hospice and Palliative Care (Agrace Foundation).


Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434