My partner, Buzz Tarlow, and I each have a daughter, who,
earlier in their lives, danced with Cody. My daughter, Hadley,
occasionally would also see her at Lewis and Clark. All of us
were touched and affected by Cody’s kind, brave, and loving character
and the inner peace which was such a remarkable and lovely aspect
of her persona. All of us were happy to have had the privilege
of knowing Cody. – Tom S.
I remember taping Shannon and
Cody and Emily and such in home videos in our basement. I remember
her as Clara in the Nutcracker and then the Snow Queen. She
had unsurpassed grace. I remember our trip to
Cody and I were paired
up to ride the chairlift at Big Sky one December afternoon. As the chair came around, I took a nervous step out of synch, causing
the chair to tip as it came under us. We both spilled to the ground
in front of a crowd of eager, smooth skiers. Cody took the embarrassing
moment from me by saying, “Whoops! How stupid of me!” She knew
I knew she knew it was my uneasiness. But, with her diamond
smile and bottomless generosity, she sought to cover and protect me
from my own humility -- Emily G.
"Never pass up a chance at adding laughter and joy to your life. Search for knowledge, read more. Sit on your front porch and admire the view without paying attention to the needs. Pass more time with your family, eat your favorite food, visit the places you love. Take out from your vocabulary phrases like “one of these days” and “someday.” Tell your family and friends how much you love them. Do not keep anything for a special occasion, because every day that you live is a special occasion. Life is a chain of moments of enjoyment and every day, hour, and minute are special."
Cody asked
me to help teach her to drive during the night, so that there wouldn’t
be as much traffic. We went out in my bug and I sat sideways
in the passenger seat to chat with Stacee in the back seat, as well
as Cody. She stopped quite suddenly because a car up ahead (WAY
up ahead) had looked like a dog…according to her vision at least. When she stopped I was catapulted forward and hit my wrist on the
rearview mirror. I told her sarcastically that she broke my
wrist and she replied, “Well, sit down, shut up or I’ll break your
other damn wrist.” I sat down and shut up – Shannon H.
She seemed soft and
beautiful but was also so funny and crazy. She could dance soooo
gracefully yet that same body and brain loved these horror movies
that would terrify me just to see the previews. She was so smart,
that was immediately apparent if you talked to her long. Her
laughter, her smile, her true radiance. – Cyndi H.
Cody,
Juey, Shannon and I practically spent every moment together, except
when we were in classes…The four of us ate meals together, entertained
each other, and most importantly, went to the library together. Now, I didn’t say we studied at the library, be we did spend quite
a lot of time sitting there and laughing. We would stay up till
morning to finish assignments that should have taken only a couple
of hours…Out of everything we did that year, one activity brought
us closer than we could have imagined: our trips to Bannings. Bannings is a 24-hour diner with desserts, breakfasts, and the sample
platter. I can’t remember our conversations, but somehow we
kept each other entertained for hours on end. On every visit, Shannon
and Cody each demanded two quarters for their lottery tickets. And
to encourage them even more, Cody once won $140…The four of us made
an interesting group. We grew up in different families, came from
different backgrounds, and pursued different goals. I cannot
pinpoint the specific reason we all stayed so close…Perhaps we just
knew how to make each other laugh. Because that’s what we spent
most of our time doing. We would laugh at everything and at
nothing. When we tripped, Cody would shout out “Embrace it!”
And we would. We laughed at the stupid things we said. We laughed
at the mistakes we made. We would carry on serious conversations
when necessary. But we preferred to laugh…Cody knew how to draw
people in and make everybody feel special. She never took advantage
of this power and strongly denied ever having it. I believe
she possessed a genuine goodness that was more powerful than she could
imagine…Without a doubt, you will always be with me Codes! –
Rachel
Cody was inspirational and wise, but she was also really
fun. She liked to grab my butt, especially when she'd been drinking.
I really enjoyed living with her, and I miss her a lot. – Melody
US
Air Force Academy, May 2001…My buddies would all be so lucky to meet
Cody and Stacee…It was amazing how many “friends” popped out of the
woodwork when we walked into the dorms. Halls that were normally
filled with protocol and monotony were lit up as Cody shot a smile
at everyone she passed. That smile would make your day… “Where
do you guys eat?” Cody chimed. Well, normally we eat in Mitchell
hall. The food was terrible and you had to be in uniform to
eat there. Two flight suits were snatched from our closets and adorned
with the proper patches and name tags, combat boots got a quick buff,
and we scrounged up a couple of female flight caps. Boot camp
was about to commence. The uniforms were donned, flight scarves
tucked, and a quick lesson on who, when, and how to salute. We set
out across campus for dinner. The girls were confident, the boys were
just praying that we wouldn’t run into any officers. Once we made
the dinner line, we thought we were scot-free, but then there were
those earrings. Those dangling earrings that only Cody could make
look good. “Are you a cadet?” the one question none of us wanted to
hear. Cody was quick to think on her feet and did what any military
member receiving a uniform correction would do...she keeled over laughing.
Of course Stacee followed her lead and we had two hysterical hotties
attracting all the attention in the world. Fortunately, the
cadet who had given Cody the surprise inspection thought it was pretty
funny too and was no doubt won over by Cody’s always powerful charisma.– Dov
Cody was sooooo sweet and cuddly. She was
the best roommate, our house was soo full of love and laughs a lot
because of how amazing and loving she was. – Rachel G
When I read this poem, Cody immediately came to mind. She is the most incredible example of living life to the fullest. Even with the adversity that she faced, she never lost her radiant smile or her lust for life and all of its blessings. The way she carried herself with such grace is remarkable. She is by far the most courageous person that I have ever, or will ever know, and her bravery in facing this life head-on with wild abandon and the highest of hopes is truly inspiring. Cody always chased her dreams and attained them, all the while savoring every moment. What an amazing way to live life. What an amazing young woman. What a gift to the rest of the world.
My favorite memory
was last thanksgiving here in