Jody Elizabeth Myers Obituary (1954 - 2022)

Jody Elizabeth Myers, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and teacher, died in her Los Angeles home on October 21, 2022, from brain cancer, at age 68. She was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Eleanor Anne Myers; and sister Amy Sabrina. She is survived by her children, Adina Ackerman (Sean Dugan), Benjamin Ackerman, and Aaron Ackerman; granddaughters, Eleanor and Ruby Dugan, David Ackerman; her siblings, Jane Myers, Kathryn de Boer, and Paulo Cohen-Myers; and her aunt, Beverly Fink. A Saint Louis Park, MN, native, Jody received her Ph.D. from UCLA in 1984 and became Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at California State University, Northridge, where she was a dedicated and beloved teacher and mentor to her students. She also served on the executive board of the Western Jewish Studies Association. Her scholarly publications included several books and articles in the field of Jewish studies, and she neared the completion of her fourth book before she died. Widely known in the Los Angeles Jewish community, Jody taught in synagogues and other forums and loved to host friends and family in her home for meals on Jewish holidays and other occasions. She had a generous heart that touched the lives of everyone who knew her, both adults and children. Integrity, brilliance, youthfulness, moral principle, intellectual curiosity, non-stop energy, and wit were just a few of Jody’s character traits. She was an expert gardener and bread baker, vegetarian, and hummingbird rescuer. She loved to hike, camp, canoe, study, and spend time with her granddaughters. As an artist and calligrapher, she created exquisite ketubot (marriage contracts) for family and friends. The family is deeply grateful for her outstanding doctors at Cedars-Sinai and her devoted caregivers. Donations in her memory may be made to the Jewish Studies Program at California State Northridge (engage.csun.edu and follow steps), Hummingbird Rescue (losangeleshummingbirdrescue.org to call), or the National Park Service (give.nationalparks.org). Funeral service 10:00 AM WEDNESDAY, October 26th at ADATH JESHURUN CONGREGATION, 10500 Hillside Lane West, Minnetonka. SHIVA, 7:00pm-9:00pm on Wednesday, at Beverly Fink’s home and Thursday in the Community Room, at 4725 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park. Funeral will be livestreamed through the Adath Jeshurun’s website, adathjeshurun.org.