Blogging For Cody, Day Two

Cody never had it easy growing up. When he was five his parents divorced and shortly after the divorce his father committed suicide. His relationship with his stepfather was never healthy but he was always optimistic.

He tried everything and kept himself very busy throughout his adolescence with sports. Of all the sports he participated in, cross country running was the one that he loved the most. He was involved with everything, everywhere. Church groups, school groups and was a rock that many leaned upon. He was a 'shirt off his back' kind of person and was an asset to our family and to the world in general.

You could call Cody anytime for help with something and he was there. He was a gigantic help to my sister when she had her third child who was quite a handful. He was there for me with my children as well. He did a lot of babysitting for us and would clean out our kitchen every time he came over. It was always a joke of "Cody's babysitting, I better go buy some ice cream".

He was the kind of guy the mothers wanted their daughters to marry. My mother-in-law always said "some woman is going to be real lucky one day when she marries him".

He had this habit of making surprise visits to people and I remember hearing the doorbell often and seeing his smiling face in the sidelight window next to the door. He would just stop by to say hello and play with my kids. His funeral was full of stories of his surprise visits and were such a comfort to us. My favorite one was from my brother who lives in Texas.

He and his family were sitting in their den one night and heard the front door open and someone start saying "hello, hello". My sister-in-law who had been undergoing chemotherapy was grabbing for her wig but at the same time wondering who just walked into their house like that. It was Cody; I don't even remember how he ended up in Dallas, but what a blessing it was for my brother and his family. They took a few days and enjoyed each others company. It was about six weeks after this that he was killed.

When my brother took him to a Rangers game they ran into people that Cody knew from Colorado. He was such a busybody that he knew people all across the country and even abroad.

My sister who works for a pediatric dentist/orthodontist has been participating in humanity missions around the world for her employer. Of all the places they've been, Romania touched their hearts the most. Her employer built his own clinic there in order to accommodate his staff and patients better. In the spring of 2000, Cody decided that he wanted to go to Romania with them for their summer mission trip. He was so touched by the children he met that he decided he wanted to follow in his mother's employers' foot steps. His plan was to attend Baylor after he graduated from the University of Wyoming and pursue a dental career that helped the needy.

I know that I will be unable to relay his 21 years in 5 days, because he was without doubt, the kindest, most giving person I've ever known. Everyone he knew felt honored to have known him; I, as his aunt, am humbled that we shared blood.

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Posted by Stacy at September 13, 2005 11:32 AM | TrackBack