Freminnie D. Jodoin, 59, of Riverside, formerly of Forest Park, died on Jan. 18, 2016. Born on Aug. 7, 1956, she was the wife of Jim Jodoin and co-owner of Jimmy’s Place on Madison Street in Forest Park.
Laurie Kokenes, executive director of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce recalled, “I met Frem nearly 40 years ago. We were both working in our fathers’ businesses — Frem at Sav-er Groceries and me at the Review. In those days we saw each other frequently. We were just youngsters, but even then we knew the value of having a girlfriend to talk to. We laughed a lot, shared a secret or two and helped each other figure out the meaning of life, as friends do. No matter what she was dealing with, she would always share her remarkable laugh, give you a big hug and ask how things were going in your life. It caused me to smile at the wake when a taste of champagne and Fannie May candy was offered to all who came. According to her good friends, champagne and chocolate was Frem’s request whenever her time came.”
Jackie Schulz knew Freminnie before she married Jimmy. “Her family was in the business,” Schulz said, so she knew all about how to run a restaurant, how to order, how to handle people. She brought all the recipes and did the cooking at first.”
Fenwick history instructor and faculty mentor Jerry Lordan noted that the walls at Jimmy’s Place are a photographic journey through the years her children were at Fenwick.
Charlie Williams of Drechsler Brown & Williams Funeral Home estimated the line waiting to pay respects on Sunday to be over 200 people, the line on the sidewalk winding well down Marion Street. The size of the crowd compared to the visitation for Anne Smedinghoff, the U.S. diplomat killed in Afghanistan several years back, Williams said.
Freminnie Jodoin is survived by her husband, James M.; her children, Maura, Bria, and Jimmy; her parents, Emily and the late James Moccio; her siblings, Bartholomew and James (Liana) Moccio and Zalena (Kerry) Kersting; her sisters-in-law, Jean (Christine) Jodoin and Michelle Jodoin; and her nieces and nephews, Vincent and Oriana Moccio and Slater, Marlee and Jake Kersting.
Visitation was held on Jan. 24 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home in Oak Park, and the family met at St. Bernardine Church on Jan. 25 for a funeral Mass, followed by Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
The family appreciates donations to the West Suburban Special Recreation Association, www.wssra.net.
