Bodall is remembered for putting children first BY SETH MANDEL Staff Writer JoAnn Bodall JAMESBURG — During her life, JoAnn Bodall made an impact on countless borough schoolchildren. While her devotion to the local school district will remain permanently etched in the minds of the district officials, parents and students with whom she worked, the district has unveiled its own permanent reminders of her devotion. Last Sunday, Superintendent of Schools Shirley Bzdewka presented two plaques commemorating the service of Bodall, a former PTA president and special education aide who succumbed to cancer in April at age 44. “She was a child advocate, and always put the children of the community first,” Bzdewka said. “She worked with our special education population as an aide, and just always had the child as the focus of whatever she did, whether it was her own children or the children of the district. She was an amazing lady.” The plaque dedication ceremony took place in the hallway of the Grace M. Breckwedel Middle School, the building where Bodall worked. One plaque will hang in that hallway, and the second will adorn the wall of the library at JFK Elementary School. Bzdewka is also the principal of GMB and has worked in the district for eight years. “During that time, one of the things that struck me most about her was the fact that she was so committed to this community,” Bzdewka said. “She was just an optimist, always saw the good in people, always saw the good in things, and just never took ‘no’ for an answer. She just would keep pushing until she got what she needed for the children of this community.” Bodall’s son, Tom, who is Jamesburg’s official historian, said JoAnn was a loving mother who cared about the students as if they were her own children, and always wanted them to succeed. “I feel proud,” Tom said. “I’m very proud of my mother and what she accomplished in her dedication to the school system.” Tom said he has never been to a funeral as well-attended as his mother’s, and was honored by the show of support from the community. “I’ve said this many times, but there’s no other town like Jamesburg,” Tom said. “This is a town where people come together in times of need. And when my mother was sick, the town really came together.” JoAnn was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. After initial treatment, the cancer was in remission, but returned in her bones. The entire time, Tom said, the community displayed unflinching compassion, which has never stopped. “We had an outcry of support from all of our friends, and from people we didn’t even know,” Tom said. “They might only know her as a classroom aide or PTA president, but everyone gave us support for the whole five years that she was battling it, and still to this day.” Bzdewka said that even while struggling with the disease, JoAnn could be seen at every spaghetti dinner, every Tonkery Street Fair, every pumpkin festival, every PTA or borough event. She said JoAnn was also instrumental in raising money for the playground at JFK, a $65,000 project. “A lot of more affluent districts don’t have playscapes like that. It’s beautiful,” Bzdewka said. “She always found a way to find the resources we needed for the children.” Tom, named the town historian last year, has developed several borough Web sites and has helped to organize many events celebrating the borough’s history and that of nearby Helmetta. He said his mother led by example, and helped to inspire him to be active in the community. When he was in the first grade, he recalled, his mother volunteered to help tutor kids in the class, organize birthday parties and just help out in any way she could. His father and JoAnn’s husband, also named Thomas, is a longtime and current member of the Jamesburg Board of Education. “They’ve just made a real commitment to the town, and they’re just an amazing family,” Bzdewka said. “They have been proud of the town of Jamesburg, and they contribute a great deal to it.” The younger Bodall said he wanted to make sure residents know just how grateful he and his father are for all the help and support they have received. “That’s what makes Jamesburg special,” he said. “Thank you, thank you for everything. We really appreciate it.”