Sara Lord Bodi received a master's degree from Hofstra and a...

Sara Lord Bodi received a master's degree from Hofstra and a PhD from St. John's. Credit: Bodi family

Sara Lord Bodi never forgot where she came from and wanted to make sure her family didn’t either.

Bodi, a school psychologist who worked in the Glen Cove School District for 28 years, spent her retirement researching her family lineage, which included multiple ancestors who came to America on the Mayflower, said her daughter, children’s book author Sari Bodi of Connecticut.

Bodi, of Dix Hills, compiled her research into 12 binders and distributed the contents throughout her family.

“She wanted to make sure that people would have this all in one place,” said Sari Bodi, 66. “Stories that she loved so much, she wanted to make sure that they were passed along in some way.”

Bodi died April 5 from complications of COVID-19 at Huntington Hospital, her family said. She was 92.

Known as "Sally" to many, Bodi was born Oct. 22, 1927, in Illinois. She was delivered by her father, Dr. Arthur E. Lord. She grew up in Plano, Illinois, and was a member of the 19-student Plano High School Class of 1945. She met her husband of 63 years, Lewis Bodi, while attending DePauw University in Indiana.

The couple married in 1949, moved to Brooklyn in 1954, to Bethpage in 1955, and finally to Glen Cove in 1965. After her husband died in 2012, Bodi moved to the Sunrise of Dix Hills senior living community.

Bodi at her daughter's wedding in an undated photo.

Bodi at her daughter's wedding in an undated photo. Credit: Bodi family

Bodi received a master’s degree in psychology from Hofstra University and a PhD in clinical psychology from St. John’s University. She was a calming presence whose advice was sought out by many, Sari Bodi said.

“She was one of those people who could relate to a very frightened child,” said Isobel Klein, 93, of New Mexico, a friend and former co-worker. “She had such a gentle manner that, no matter how frightened a child was, they would calm down immediately in her presence and feel comfortable.”

In addition to Sari, Bodi is survived by her son, Kip Bodi of Cold Spring Harbor; daughters Betsy Bodi Thomas of Texas and Nancy Bodi-Hurley of Northport; sister Emily Lord Leyshon of Arizona; 13 grandchildren; and six great-granddaughters. She was buried at Locust Valley Cemetery on April 10, and the family held a memorial service on Zoom on April 11, Sari Bodi said.

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