By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — Jody Deery, the late matriarch of the Rockford Speedway who helped the local track earn national recognition, was bestowed a new honor Tuesday that further cements her legacy in Loves Park.
Signs were unveiled outside the Speedway on Tuesday to honorarily rename a stretch of Forest Hills Road as Jody Deery Way.
Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury, who hosted a short ceremony attended by multiple local and state elected officials and other supporters of the Speedway, said it was a deserved honor for a woman who worked tirelessly to both run the Speedway and lift up the community.
Deery, who ran the Speedway into her mid-90s, died in mid-June at age 97 as the track marked 75 years in business. The city of Loves Park itself is 75 years old, making Deery’s work an integral part of the city’s history, Jury said.
“The city of Loves Park appreciates all the support that the Deery family has given us over the last 75 years,” Jury said. “Millions of people over those 75 years have had a lot of fun here.”
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Deery and her husband, Hugh, bought an interest in the track in 1959 and gained sole ownership in 1967. She took over running the business after Hugh died in 1984, but all of their children — Gunner, Ted, Jack, Susie, Tom, Brad, Chuck and David — have lent a hand at the Speedway over the years.
“Her efforts and those of my father made this little corner here at Forest Hills Road and West Lane Road nationally known for a location for family entertainment, exciting racing, family fun and as a contributor to the community,” Tom Deery said.
The track is now run by David and Susie Deery.
Susie Deery, who wore one of her mother’s signature checkered sport jackets at the ceremony, said people all over the country would ask about Jody when she and her brothers traveled.
“From the state of Washington to Mexico, Florida, everywhere,” Susie Deery said. “That’s pretty cool that we’re a fixture in the racing community nationwide.”
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Jody Deery was a mother figure to more than her eight children, her only daughter said. She offered guidance and inspiration to countless people who came through the Rockford Speedway.
“She was very generous, very kind,” Susie Deery said. “She treated people like they were her own.”
Ray Padron, who started working at the track 55 years ago at age 24, said Jody Deery used to use the phrase “labels are for soup cans,” meaning that everyone should be respected and treated equally. He said she showed him how to work with a sense of humility and kindness.
“I have too many memories, I don’t know where to begin,” Padron said. “I miss her dearly and I thank God everyday for her being in my life.”
Jody Deery helped the family name become synonymous with short-track racing. The banked oval Rockford Speedway has hosted thousands of talented amateur and professional drivers over the decades.
Jody Deery’s generosity went beyond her work at the track. She was charitable with both her time, such as her work with St. James Church in Rockford, and her money, such as endowments she made for her alma mater of Saint Anthony School of Nursing.
“She never said no. She sat on numerous boards: everything from the MetroCentre board to the Girl Scouts,” Tom Deery said. “She was always busy doing something. She worked literally seven days a week … up until a year before her passing.”
The signs were unveiled as NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki was making practice laps at the Speedway. He’s part of this weekend’s Big 8 series, which is part of the 57th National Short Track Championship races taking part Saturday and Sunday.
The 75th season wraps up in late October, and then the family will begin preparing for season 76, Susie Deery said.
“This used to be out in the middle nowhere, and now it’s right in the middle of the city,” Tom Deery said. “For us to be able to continue is a great honor, and we’re very thankful for that.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.