Jodene M Cordes

Jodene Marie Cordes, of Prosser, Nebraska died Thursday, July 25, 2024, at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings after bravely fighting cancer over the past year. Funeral service will be 10:00 am Saturday, August 3, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolbach, NE with Pastor Abigail Vetick officiating. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Wolbach. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 pm on Friday, August 2 at Apfel Funeral Home in Grand Island, NE. Memorials are suggested to the family for later designation. Online condolences may be directed to www.apfelfuneralhome.com.

Jodene (Jody) Peterson was born on June 28, 1955, in Spalding, NE to Vaughn E. and Ella M. (Glines) Peterson. She attended primary school in Cushing, NE, and graduated from Kenesaw High School in 1973. She received her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and obtained her teaching certification. Jody had a variety of occupations over the course of her career. She was a full-time and substitute teacher at schools in Wood River, Kenesaw, Hastings, and Grand Island and she enjoyed teaching children. She also worked with the Grand Island Public Library Bookmobile program, managed the Senior Center in Wood River for a few years, and was the town Clerk for the city of Prosser for over ten years.

Jody was passionate about teaching and helping others all throughout her life. She had a knack for bringing people together and truly cared about the people she worked with, her friends, and her loved ones. She enjoyed antiquing and thrifting, always keeping an eye out for new treasures. She was a lifelong lover of animals and provided a home for many wayward creatures over the years. She liked sewing and crocheting and took joy in sharing her creations with others. She enjoyed growing flowers in the pots and beds around her home and took opportunities to advise her husband on how to garden as well.

Jody was united in marriage to Donald P. Cordes on March 5, 1977, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wolbach NE. Don and Jody lived in Wolbach, Wood River, and had lived in Prosser, NE for over 25 years.

Jody was very loved by her husband, Don; and their three children and their families: Michael and Hollie (Hansen) Cordes of Kenesaw, NE; Crystal (Cordes) Krause of Omaha, NE; Matthew and Jennifer (Sullivan) Cordes of Kearney, NE; grandchildren: Alexis Fulton, Micha, Hailey, Riley, and Brian Cordes, Eliot and Holden Krause, and Audra, Sawyer, and Walker Cordes.

She is survived by her brother, Michael (Meredith) Peterson of Santa Fe, NM; sister-in-law, JoAnn Abboud of Naples, FL; and nine nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vaughn and Ella (Glines) Peterson and Robert Luft; husband, Donald Cordes; grandson, Beckett Cordes; in-laws, George and Minnie (Rother) Cordes; brothers-in-law: Richard Cordes and Ronald Cordes; and nephew, Sloane Peterson.