Our dear friend, sister and mother, Jodie Robb, passed away peacefully and with dignity surrounded by family and close friends on April 17, 2014, after a brief illness. Love embraced her throughout this experience, and she characteristically responded in kind.
Jodie was born in Kansas City, Mo., on May 4, 1953, and was raised in Edina, Minn. She attended Northrop Collegiate School in Minneapolis, graduating in 1971. At the University of Arizona, Jodie majored in Asian Studies, earning high honors. After college, Jodie moved to Idaho to manage a family business, the Smiley Creek Lodge. Embracing her new home, she quickly became the beloved center of an eclectic and inclusive community of cowboys, hippies and travelers. Her passion for playing music was infectious, attracting many legendary local performers to Sawtooth City who would often play long into the night. Jodie was always the sweetheart of the rodeo, in a tie-dyed T-shirt!
Jodie’s three marriages produced two beautiful children, the light of her life. She traveled extensively, from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya as a teenager, to Brazil, Bhutan and Greece. Her spiritual path also led her to more than 25 years of sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous was a lifeline for her personally, and her strong sense of service inspired her to move to Gooding, Idaho, to work at the renowned Walker Center.
She later earned a master’s degree in Education and with her customary wisdom, commitment and passion, practiced many years as a licensed professional counselor specializing in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. In addition to counseling, she taught at the College of Southern Idaho. In 2012, Jodie retired from teaching and moved to the mountain town of Bellevue, Idaho, where she enjoyed renewing old friendships and making new ones.
Jodie is survived by her children, son Dylan L. Deal (Kathy) of Gooding, Idaho; daughter Gracie R. Acuna (Gabriel) of Boise, Idaho; brothers, Selden T. Robb (Helen) of Excelsior, Minn., Frank Donaldson Robb (Virginia) of Los Angeles, Calif., and John Fleming Robb of Duluth, Minn. Jodie was blessed with three grandchildren and five nieces and nephews. Jodie was preceded in death by her parents, Selden Thompson Robb Sr. and Joan Donaldson Robb Mickelson, her stepmother Jean Dunn Robb, stepfather Robert E. Mickelson and her grandparents, Dr. E.F. and Geraldine Robb Sr. and Frank A. and Ruth Chase Donaldson Sr.
Jodie lived and loved well. Her engaging, ebullient spirit will be profoundly missed by her family and countless friends. Celebrations of Jodie’s exceptional life will be held at Smiley Creek Lodge on June 8 from 1-4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alcoholics Anonymous, Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley or the Sawtooth Botanical Garden.
