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VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - On March 18, 103-year-old Jeanette Newbern Coody passed away.

Coody was born on September 19, 1922, and moved to Valdosta in 1963, where she was enrolled in Perry Business College and Valdosta Tech going to class night and day, according to her obituary.

When she graduated in 1964, she went to work at the Levi Strauss Valdosta plant in Human Resources. She became the Chairperson of the Community Involvement Team and led the Team in acquiring the highest honor given to any Team in the Company.

During her years at Levi Strauss, Coody invested over 6 million dollars for the betterment of the community. One of those gifts was seed money to start The Haven in December 1985, a home for domestic violence victims. She received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from The Haven for “her personal donations of time, money, and energy.”

Coody was a member of First Baptist Church where she sang in the First Voices Choir, taught Sunday School, went on 26 mission trips and constantly volunteered around the church and community. She had perfect attendance in Sunday School for 80 plus years.

Coody was a member of the Azelea City Woman’s Club for over 50 years and President for 25 years. She won the Jenny Award, the highest award given nationally by the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs.

She’s served on the Board of Directors and was a financial benefactor of the Valdosta Boys and Girls Club for 40 years. The Board Room at the Valdosta facility is named for Jeanette and she was inducted into the National Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2022 at age 100.

According to Coody’s obituary, she once said she was fulfilled by “doing the Lord’s work”. “God has been so good to me; I must do good for others. The Lord leads my path to give and I follow it.”

Organizations across South Georgia took to social media to remember Coody for her tireless work to better the community and people who live in it.

Coody was preceded in death by her parents, 7 brothers and sisters, husband Howard Coody and friend Larry Veatch. She is survived by many relatives in the large Newbern family including nephews Lewis (Ray) Williams and Michael Newbern and nieces Midge Newbern Mercer, Patti Jean Newbern Ross and Leslie Martin Bell.

Funeral services for Jeanette Newbern Coody will be held at First Baptist Church Valdosta on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The Viewing will be at 2:00 p.m. and the Funeral Service will begin at 3:00 p.m.

Jeanette’s favorite color was red. She requested that if you have a red article of clothing please wear it to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Haven, P.O. Box 5382, Valdosta, GA, 31603.

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