Josephine "Jody" Bulson

Josephine ‘Jody’ Scarlata was born in Chicago, IL on Valentine’s Day, 1947. She was almost named Valentina, but the legacy of the family name won out and they named her Josephine after her maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother and grandfather. Finding employment to be far more fascinating than high school, she quit school and worked as a waitress. She found the man of her dreams at Great Lakes Naval Base, and she wed Irving Joseph ‘Bo’ Bulson on October 5, 1963.

Bo deployed shortly after their wedding, and Jody followed him to the naval base in Norfolk, VA, where she gave birth to their oldest child Tina Marie. Bo was severely injured during his time in the Navy and was granted a medical discharge, so they moved back to Jody’s hometown, Chicago. Bo’s job eventually took them to Zion, IL where Jody gave birth to their second child, Scott Michael. Unwilling to tell another child that she dropped out of school, Jody got her GED in 1976, shortly before Scott was born. She went on to take classes at the College of Lake County, and once again found great joy in working as an office manager for a motorcycle shop and as the manager of the jewelry counter at Sam’s Club.

Jody was a dedicated homemaker, canning the majority of the produce that Bo brought out of his very prolific garden. She loved to cook and was frequently praised for her excellent meals and her skills at entertaining and making people feel welcome in her home. Bo would tell people that if Jody opened a restaurant, people would come from miles around because the restaurant would be that popular. Her creative skills in the kitchen won her first-place ribbons several years in a row in the Lake County Fair; she also won a first-place ribbon in the Illinois State Fair. She once shipped some jars of jam to her sister-in-law, who promptly entered them in the Pennsylvania State Fair, winning a first-place ribbon. Jody was not pleased that she wasn’t credited for her fine work, but she did appreciate the fact that her jam was ribbon-worthy in multiple states.

Jody and Bo moved to Gilbert, Arizona shortly after Bo retired from his job at Zion Nuclear Station. They had always been dedicated to their faith, and now semi-retired, they became very busy serving as worship leaders and members of the praise band at Gilbert Christian Church. They loved their church and their neighborhood, and Jody once again spent many hours cooking, both for her neighbors and for her church family. They also spent many hours entertaining and enjoying the company of their grandchildren.

Jody is survived by a host of very good friends in Illinois and Arizona, as well as her daughter Tina (Phil), son Scott (Kari), and grandchildren Ashely, Alexandra, Katie, Aubrey, Jacob, Issac, and Emily. She is also survived by her brother Joe Scarlata and the extra family members she ‘adopted’ along the way, including her sisters-from-another-mister Carolyn (Bill) and Donna (Chris), and her ‘bonus’ daughter’s Lynn (David), Shelbee, Melisa, Renee (Junior), and AJ.

"May tender memories soften your grief,

May fond recollection bring you relief,

And may you find comfort and peace in the thought

Of the joy that knowing your loved one brought...

For time and space can never divide

Or keep your loved one from your side.

When memory paints in colors true,

the happy hours that belonged to you."

--Helen Steiner Rice