Jay T. Grodsky, 78, of Raymore, Missouri, passed away at home on Nov. 30 after a long battle with prostate cancer. His loved ones were at his side.
Jay was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Viola and Albert Grodsky. He swam competitively in middle school and high school and played trombone in his band, Captain Crunch and the Crispy Critters.
After high school, Jay served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, where he learned to love the Japanese language, which he studied for the rest of his life. After the war, he learned to play guitar and spent many evenings immersed in the music scene in St. Louis. His claim to fame was that he stepped in to play with the Allman Brothers one evening, although despite many attempts, his family was never able to verify this during his lifetime.
Jay eventually headed back to school. He met his wife, Tamara, in Spanish class during college, and while the Spanish didn’t stick, the relationship did. After they married, Jay and Tamara moved to Kansas City, where he later graduated from the UMKC School of Law, Class of 1978. Although he was a talented artist and writer, Jay truly believed in the United States legal system and loved practicing law. He held a long career in bankruptcy and family law and never turned away a client who couldn’t pay. He and Tamara stayed and raised their daughter, Rachel, in Kansas City. Towards the end of his career, he worked for the Department of Health and Human Services in the Kansas City area.
Jay was beloved by people from all walks of life. He was smart and truly funny — not just “Dad joke” funny. He knew the exact dates and names of all the Roman wars and generals, Egyptian pharaohs and Japanese emperors — but he could not tell you which way was north to save his life. He loved Renaissance art, the Impressionists, the Abstract Expressionists and good books. He traveled often with his daughter, and once spent days at the Louvre, finally admitting to her the Mona Lisa was indeed “more impressive in person.”
Although he insisted he wasn’t a “foodie,” he’d never turn down an authentic French or Italian meal or a coastal seafood restaurant. He loved family vacations, Steven Segal movies, his dog Abby and classical music, and he leaves behind a carefully curated collection of books.
Jay is survived by his wife, Tamara; his daughter, Rachel; his sister, Lois; his brother, Allen; his brother-in-law, Greg Gibbs; and six nieces and nephews. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education or Wayside Waifs.