Jodie Michelle Hutchins, beloved wife and mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, mentor, and joyful servant of Christ, went home to her Savior, Jesus Christ on August 12, 2026. She was surrounded by her family and loved ones and passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus.

From her diagnosis with cancer through her final days, Jodie faced change and suffering with the same thoughtful faith, quiet strength, humor, and deep love that marked her life. Cancer took much from her, but it could not take what was most deeply hers: her identity in Christ, her love for people, or her confidence in the goodness and faithfulness of God.

If there is one core truth that served her every step of the way, it's that the victory that Christ won over death through the cross and His resurrection is what made it possible for her to complete the journey with peace and joy.

She leaves behind her beloved husband, Brian; her three beautiful daughters, Kaitlyn, Makayla, and Cassidy; and a remarkable community of extended family, friends, women, youth, and children whose lives bear the imprint of her faithful investment in them.

Jodie possessed a rare combination of strength and gentleness. She was intelligent, thoughtful, and methodical, never content to simply accept the surface of things. She wanted to understand. She was curious. She studied. She observed. She listened carefully, considered deeply, and spoke with wisdom and purpose. She asked thoughtful questions and did not rush to conclusions. God gave her a clarion voice for truth, but also the wisdom to know truth is most beautiful when it is spoken in love.

Her career spanned multiple chapters. She worked in politics and government policy in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. She received a degree in paralegal studies. She went to law school and did well with good grades before deciding to leave that field of study. During law school she learned to “think” like a lawyer and used those analytical skills in future callings.

The woman who once imagined herself in the courtroom or public policy discovered a different calling: investing herself in people who could outlive her.

Jodie served for years with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), first in Fresno, CA, then in Texas. She held multiple roles with local classes. She was the beneficiary of many wonderful people pouring into her and mentoring her and she in turn was able to pour into and mentor others. She ultimately worked in the Training Division of BSF and was privileged to train leaders from around the world. She delighted in the friendships and connections she forged locally and globally. She delighted in equipping others.

Jodie most recently served as the Family Ministry Director for Redeemer Church of Round Rock. She poured herself into the children and youth of the church. Children drew something especially beautiful out of her. She saw them. Not as interruptions or projects but as image bearers of God and worthy to be known. Her investment in the next generation was rooted in her conviction that these lives mattered eternally. She loved equipping volunteer leaders who served with her. She counted it a privilege to work with many gifted volunteers and encouraging others in their gifting to serve within the church. She was a friend to many: especially the children and youth whom she loved dearly. Her ministry was never merely a job or a program. It flowed from who she’d become as she pursued Jesus.

And then there were her girls.

Being mom to Kaitlyn, Makayla and Cassidy was a defining privilege of her life. She loved her daughters fiercely and tenderly. She saw and focused on the needs of their hearts. She chose to be wholly present – to dig deep in curiosity, wonder and love. She saw them – not merely as who they were in the moment – but who God was forming them to become. She invested in their minds, their character, their faith, their laughter and their future. She gave them wisdom and truth but also gave them fun and adventure. She gave them conversation and counsel, but also joy and silliness and the security of being deeply known and loved no matter what. Her daughters carry pieces of their mother that cancer can never take from them. Jodie also immensely delighted in the individualism of her daughters and fully encouraged them to become their own person.

Though her life was far shorter than those who loved her would ever have chosen, it was beautifully and fully lived. We grieve deeply because we loved her deeply, but we grieve with hope. Jodie spent her life learning to know and delight in Jesus Christ. She now sees the One she loved face to face.

Strength and joy, dear Pilgrim, you are home.

A public Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 2:00pm at First United Methodist Church Round Rock, 1004 N. Mays Street, Round Rock, Texas 78664. Friends, family, loved ones, and all whose lives were touched by Jodie are invited to gather with her family to remember her and give thanks for her beautiful life.