John “Jody” O’Donnell Underwood of Wilton

John “Jody” O’Donnell Underwood passed away suddenly on Wednesday July 28, 2021. Jody was born on December 7, 1995 in Norwalk, CT of Jennifer (Arnone) Anda and John Underwood.

He attended Wilton High School and graduated Cum Laude in May from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. He was a member of the Psi Chi National Honor Society - of which his mother had also been a member in her college days. Jody was part of a small research team for two years, assisting Dr. Michael Kitchens on a recently published paper on ‘The Bystander Effect’. This spring he completed an internship at New Vitae Wellness and Recovery in Quakertown, PA where he aided residents in developing life skills and shared his gift of music with them in his spare time. Jody planned to pursue a Masters degree in clinical psychology and aspired to help at-risk youth.
Jody was passionate about playing his electric guitar and exploring the sounds of his beloved pedal collection. He loved reading, especially on science and philosophy, and was an amateur beekeeper, chef, painter, and woodworker. His love of the outdoors included the Wilton High School Ski Team and completing a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course in the backcountry of the West. Jody was always most at home in the wilderness and mountains, particularly of Colorado and Vermont. He spent over a decade of summers at the historic Camp Dudley in Westport New York, growing from a young camper into leadership roles while always living the Dudley motto,“The Other Fellow First”. Jody was a devoted friend to many and will be remembered for his kindness, humility and humor.

He is pre-deceased by his grandfather Demetrio M. Arnone Jr.

Jody is remembered by his mother, father, step-father Jon Anda, sisters Emily Underwood, Helen Anda-Eichner, and Ibby Anda, and his grandmother, Joanne Arnone. He is survived by his longtime girlfriend Melanie LeaRussa from Houston, Texas, a recent graduate of University of Denver.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday August 7 at 11:00 am at St. Philip Church located at: 1 Father Conlon Place in Norwalk, CT.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jody’s name to:

The Camp Dudley Scholarship Fund 126 Dudley Road Westport, NY 12993 https://www.campdudley.org/givenow/

Caron Treatment Center 243 N. Galen Hall Road Wernersville, Pa 19565 https://www.caron.org/donate

To leave an online condolence, please visit https://www.norwalk.FH.com