Official Obituary of
John Weldon Boddie
January 12, 1946 ~ April 23, 2017 (age 71) 71 Years Old
John Boddie Obituary
John Weldon Boddie was born on January 12, 1946 in Lake Charles, Louisiana and passed away on April 23, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. He was the son of Margaret Mary Meade Boddie and William Croom Boddie, the third of three brothers. He attended Central School and graduated from Lake Charles High School. John was an active Boy Scout, enjoyed camping and earned his Eagle Scout at age 16. He was an acolyte for the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd which his grandfather built.
His college career was begun at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but returned to Lake Charles when his father passed away; he completed his college days in 1968 at McNeese State University majoring in Mathematics. Before attending graduate school, he served in the US Army in San Antonio, Texas. John was awarded a fellowship in Mathematical Statistics at Southern Methodist University where he earned a Master of Science in 1972 and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics in 1974. It was there he met his future wife, Joan Snavely Reisch, whom he married in 1977.
After graduation from SMU, John was hired by Anderson Clayton Foods (ACF) as a statistician, first in the research center and then at the corporate level, where he was known for his expertise in modelling a variety of challenging business and financial problems. By the time that the Foods Division was sold in 1987, he had acquired many loyal friends and colleagues who continued to keep in touch as well as attend the ACF reunions that John helped arrange. The last one was the 25th anniversary brunch in April 2012.
When JC Penney moved to Dallas in 1988, John joined the JCP Catalog Inventory Control team and later transferred to the Strategic Planning and Research Group. He retired in 2007. He was often quoted as saying that "One 9 digit number looks exactly like another 9 digit number." He was well known for his sense of humor, encyclopedic knowledge of World War II, and of the Harry Potter books and movies.
John's outside interests included a succession of cats, reading, gardening, attending operas, snow skiing in Colorado and New Mexico, US travel, and cruising the ocean and the rivers of Europe, visiting more than 30 countries. His last trips before his diagnosis of prostate cancer included a Mediterranean cruise and a visit to Machu Picchu.
John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, William Lee. He is survived by his loving wife, Joan; his sister-in-law Nancy Wesley Boddie (William Lee), brother Lynn Meade Boddie, nieces Melissa Boddie Treesh (Ryan) and Mary Lynn Boddie Hallett (Randall), and nephews Steven Fisk and William Wesley Boddie, cousins, Snavely in-laws, nieces and nephews, and a wealth of friends who enjoyed his warmth, his loyalty and his unique and kind sense of humor.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Southern Methodist University (PO Box 750235, Dallas TX 75275), Simmons Cancer Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas TX 75235), Dallas Opera (2403 Flora, Dallas, TX 75201) or a charity of your choice.
A celebration of his life for friends and family will be announced at a later date.
His college career was begun at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but returned to Lake Charles when his father passed away; he completed his college days in 1968 at McNeese State University majoring in Mathematics. Before attending graduate school, he served in the US Army in San Antonio, Texas. John was awarded a fellowship in Mathematical Statistics at Southern Methodist University where he earned a Master of Science in 1972 and a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics in 1974. It was there he met his future wife, Joan Snavely Reisch, whom he married in 1977.
After graduation from SMU, John was hired by Anderson Clayton Foods (ACF) as a statistician, first in the research center and then at the corporate level, where he was known for his expertise in modelling a variety of challenging business and financial problems. By the time that the Foods Division was sold in 1987, he had acquired many loyal friends and colleagues who continued to keep in touch as well as attend the ACF reunions that John helped arrange. The last one was the 25th anniversary brunch in April 2012.
When JC Penney moved to Dallas in 1988, John joined the JCP Catalog Inventory Control team and later transferred to the Strategic Planning and Research Group. He retired in 2007. He was often quoted as saying that "One 9 digit number looks exactly like another 9 digit number." He was well known for his sense of humor, encyclopedic knowledge of World War II, and of the Harry Potter books and movies.
John's outside interests included a succession of cats, reading, gardening, attending operas, snow skiing in Colorado and New Mexico, US travel, and cruising the ocean and the rivers of Europe, visiting more than 30 countries. His last trips before his diagnosis of prostate cancer included a Mediterranean cruise and a visit to Machu Picchu.
John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, William Lee. He is survived by his loving wife, Joan; his sister-in-law Nancy Wesley Boddie (William Lee), brother Lynn Meade Boddie, nieces Melissa Boddie Treesh (Ryan) and Mary Lynn Boddie Hallett (Randall), and nephews Steven Fisk and William Wesley Boddie, cousins, Snavely in-laws, nieces and nephews, and a wealth of friends who enjoyed his warmth, his loyalty and his unique and kind sense of humor.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Southern Methodist University (PO Box 750235, Dallas TX 75275), Simmons Cancer Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas TX 75235), Dallas Opera (2403 Flora, Dallas, TX 75201) or a charity of your choice.
A celebration of his life for friends and family will be announced at a later date.
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