Jody Edyth Hackleman
Sept. 29, 1949 – Nov. 11, 2014
Jody Hackleman died quite unexpectedly on Tuesday, November 11 at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, surrounded by the love of her family.
Jody was born in Vancouver on September 29, 1949. She grew up in Marpole on Cornish Street (named after her grandparents’ family), before moving to Burnaby. Smart as a whip, she always loved school. She was in the Vancouver Beefeater Band and marched in the Pasadena Rose Parade in 1966.
While a student at the University of British Columbia in the mid-1970s, where she majored in history, Jody was very active in politics, from lively debates on campus with the Liberal Party, to canvassing for Pierre Elliot Trudeau in her Mary Quant-esque “Trudeau Girl” outfit.
In 1976, Jody gave birth to her daughter Lindsay and focused all her attention on raising her strong and happy daughter.
In 1986, she married Scott Hackleman, who would be her great love, her constant companion and the half that made her whole. Soon after they were married, she joined Scott in India for a year to help with his research grant there. Eventually settling in Pasadena, California, Jody enjoyed working for the Pasadena city attorney.
In 2007, the couple moved to Point Roberts. Possessing a love of early 20th century bungalows, they set about to create for themselves their vision of a 1920s seaside cottage and garden.
Inspired by her grandmother’s garden, (which she called a “garden tousle”) Jody put her own touch on the traditional cottage garden. Her love of gardening naturally led to her growing involvement with the Point Roberts Garden Club, and her love of camaraderie, the sharing of knowledge and good times put her own special touch on the club.
Jody drank life in, savoring every joyous sip or gulp. She found beauty in the mundane as well as the extraordinary. Her family held the core of her generous heart, but she also loved friends, her Point Roberts community, gardens and flowers, her kitchen and her stove. She had a wicked sense of humor, a quick mind and a passionate soul. With her heart on her sleeve, unaffected, she called for us to smile with her and cry with her, and the pull was irresistible.
Jody loved her family, her community, flowers, good food and laughter. Her death has left holes in many hearts. She is survived by her husband Scott, her daughter Lindsay, and her grandson Nolan, who was a bright light in her life.
The garden club intends to place a memorial bench for Jody on Tyee Drive, while the Friends of the Point Roberts Library are going to collect donations in her name for a tile in their new library garden reading room.
