
Hannah Bealer
Jonathan Codispoti knows Dublin from one end to the other. He grew up near the former Llewellyn farm in the Franz and Tuttle roads area, close to the south City limits.
Now, his wife, Dayna, and their two young children are enjoying the home they built in at the northern limits of Tartan Ridge. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool native, and she has transitioned from a Youngstown native into an ardent and happy resident of her adopted city.
Codispoti is known as “Jono” to family and friends, a nickname he made up when his first-grade teacher was getting to know her new students at Thomas Elementary School. He copied Marko, a neighbor’s nickname. The newly created moniker stuck when he told his family.
Officially, though, he’s Jonathan, an agent for New York Life, a profession that follows his father’s – Sostene, “Sos,” a longtime independent insurance agency owner in Dublin. Sos is well-known and active in Dublin civic circles and was named grand marshal of the July 4 parade.
Jonathan says he used to rollerskate to the nearby elementary school. He went to Sells Middle and Coffman High schools, where he became an ardent lacrosse player after trying soccer in the seventh grade.
He tried high school football, got thumped good trying to tackle a star running back and decided he was a good size for a middle fielder in lacrosse.
At Ohio University, Jonathan majored in sports management with a minor in business management, then returned to Dublin and the financial world. He bought a condominium on Muirfield Drive.
Then, he says, he met a girl. She was Dayna, the sister of a friend of his brother, Joe. They met at an Ohio State University football tailgate party, which Sos and family held for years featuring an extensive catered menu.
Dayna, who earned a master’s degree in clinical nutrition at OSU after graduating from Miami University, “introduced me to getting a dog,” Jonathan says. His name is Jack, a greyhound-husky-German shepherd, rescued from Pets Without Parents.
“He took over my life,” Jonathan jests.
At first, maybe. The couple was married in March 2011, and very soon Dayna was pregnant. They wanted a larger home and finally decided on Tartan Ridge and a two-story to be built by M/I Homes.
After a couple hiccups – their first choice would be the same as an adjoining home, which meant selecting another lot – the home was built in a largely undeveloped area on “one of the largest lots in Tartan Fields,” Jonathan says. He tells of Jack’s romps in the open spaces.
“I never had to put a leash on him,” he says.
One day, Jack spotted a coyote and chased it into the nearby woods and out of sight.
A while later, “He comes trotting back like nothing happened,” Jonathan says.
Lucia arrived six months before they moved in. She’s now 3, a year older than her brother, Luca.
The new home – with five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a three-car garage and a yet-to be-finished basement – suits the family. Each child has a second-floor bedroom separated by a Jack and Jill bath that will adequately serve them in a few years. It’s great for Mom and Dad’s child care purposes now. Another bedroom is for guests, while the fourth, a bonus room, is a playroom.
With the couple’s first-floor master suite on the first floor, Jonathan suggests light-heartedly that the children aren’t going to be crawling in bed with their parents in the night. Jack, though, has a place in the bedroom.
Dayna – who is a neonatal dietitian two days a week for premature infants, alternating between Riverside and Dublin Methodist hospitals – says the parents don’t have listening devices in the kids’ rooms, but they’re not that removed from the youngsters.
“You can hear them very easily,” she says.
The master bedroom is off the great room, which blends with the kitchen. The separating island and cabinets have distinctive leathered Uba Tuba – dark, multiple colors with a subtle deep green appearance.
Their finish, which has a rough feel and appearance, plus a special “Cinderella Carriage” crystal chandelier in the adjoining dining room, are two features that guests compliment, Dayna says. She mentions toe lighting under the cabinets as an appealing decorative compliment to the kitchen.
During the design phase, Dayna says, she wanted to push out an exterior wall to enlarge the great room, but couldn’t because of property-line setback requirements.
“I tried, though,” she says.
But it’s the community and amenities in their area that they relish. They’re across the road from Glacier Ridge Metro Park, which they enjoy with the children in warm weather. Jack often gets to go to the Darree Fields Dog Park.
Dayna seems to keep a nonstop schedule with the youngsters. She takes them to the Dublin Community and Recreation Center. She says
they have wonderful programs for young children, such as music and art classes, and Lucia is taking ballet lessons.
“I have them in a lot (of activities). I’m able to participate in (their) activities,” she says, noting eventually that will involve her helping with school activities, organizations and volunteer duties.
For years, Sos has been the sports public address announcer, first at Coffman and now at Jerome High School. Jonathan helps him by being the spotter. Jonathan was a charter member of two groups: NextGen Dublin, an organization for young professionals that’s affiliated with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Dublin Kiwanis Club.
The Codispotis praise various community activities, such as the Dublin Irish Festival.
“I go every year. Every year,” Jonathan says.
They are bound to the community.
“I don’t want to leave Dublin. If I move, it will be in Dublin,” he asserts.
Dayna is enthused about her youthful neighborhood where “our neighbors are phenomenal,” with many kids in the same early age group as her own.
“It’s going to be a blessing for years to come,” she says.
Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.