Jodi Lynn van der Wiel

1970 - 2025

Jodi (Wilson/Higgs) van der Wiel

May 3, 1970 - May 8, 2025

Jodi Lynn (Higgs) van der Wiel, 55, of Brecksville, Ohio, passed away May 8, 2025 after a lengthy illness.

Mrs. van der Wiel was born in Casper, Wyoming to Bill Higgs and Donna (Pingrey) Wilson in 1970. She was raised by her mother and stepfather in Sioux City, Iowa, where she graduated from East High School in 1988. Jodi studied art at the University of Iowa before transferring to Iowa State University, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Architecture in 1993. In 2000, she married Dave van der Wiel, with whom she had been friends for 17 years. Jodi worked at architecture firms in Omaha, Atlanta, Yakima (Washington) and Columbus, Ohio, before the couple moved to Cleveland in 2003. From 2006 to 2008, Jodi and Dave lived in Pélissane, France, where Jodi studied art, cuisine and the French language. In 2011, Jodi gave birth to their daughter, Adria Hélène.

In Cleveland, Mrs. van der Wiel worked as a Project Director and Designer at Westlake Reed Leskosky and as Director of Design at Vocon before re-joining Moody Nolan as a Design Principal and Senior Associate. Jodi also served as an adjunct architecture faculty at Kent State University and as the President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Cleveland chapter. Jodi co-founded AIA Cleveland's Women in Architecture Committee and Cleveland Connect mentorship program. In 2019, she led the development of a curriculum for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio's first architecture patch program, and later designed a digital Home Architecture Camp, which has been adopted worldwide. Her work was recognized through many awards and honors, including the prestigious AIA Ohio Mentor Award, the AIA Ohio Public Service Award, the Sho-Ping Chin Grant and the Charles Marr Citation from the Ohio AIA Foundation. In 2022, Jodi was named an AIA Fellow, the organization's highest membership honor.

Jodi was an artist since childhood and never stopped exploring and learning from others. She expressed herself in her paintings and drawings, but also in her cooking, gardening, interior design and woodturning. She was an accomplished cyclist, having completed multiple RAGBRAI tours as well as tours in other states and in the French Alps. Jodi entrusted her love and fidelity to her daughter and to her husband of nearly 25 years, for which they are both eternally blessed and grateful. She deeply valued the enduring relationships that she had with her family and friends, many since childhood.

Mrs. van der Wiel was proceeded in death by her beloved grandmother, Sadie Pingrey, and her stepfather Lester Wilson. She is survived by her husband David, daughter Adria, mother Donna and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins. A celebration of her life will be held in Cleveland on May 31 at 7 p.m. at the Overlook Venue. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jodi's name can be made to the nonprofit Gastric Cancer Foundation (gastriccancer.org) or to Adria's 529 College Fund (Ugift529.com, code S4N-C4A).