First I would like to say that I am honored to have been given the privilege to be Cody’s sister. As I reflect back on my brother there are many things that I could write about him. Cody was a man that loved the Lord first, his children and family second, and the mountains of Scott County. He was by no means your typical Sheriff.  He knew every back road of this county and the people that lived down them. He would talk about stopping by and visiting with so and so that lived down a certain road. I would be thinking, I didn’t know any one lived down that road. He had a compassion for people and a great big heart. You always knew you had been in Cody’s presence with his firm handshake, hug and contagious smile.

Cody begin his career as a dispatcher and then worked his way up to deputy and from there you know the rest of the story, the Lord allowed him to be elected as Sheriff. Cody never became big in his own eyes. He could shake the hand of the President and turn right around and shake the hand of a pauper and never make a difference in the two.  His love for people was shown on an everyday basis. I recall a particular t-ball game our sons were playing and a little girl approached him wearing a tattered dress and scuffed little dress shoes. She asked Cody if her dress was pretty and Cody stopped watching the game and gave her his undivided attention and replied “That is a very pretty dress and you look very nice.” The smile on that child’s face was priceless. He then walked over to his patrol unit and gave her a plastic badge and pencil and she happily skipped off. Cody turned around to watch the game and within a matter of minutes she had returned with more children, some of which had come off the baseball field all wanting a plastic badge and sticker. Cody handed out all that he had and told the children to come to the Sheriff’s office the next day and he would fix the rest of them up. You see, people were important to Cody because he saw each one of them as God’s creation.

He worked 24/7 because even after a day at the office it would not end there. People pulled in Cody’s drive way and asked his advice about things long after dark. My brother never complained when I would say “Tell them to come to your office tomorrow; you are at home with your family.” His reply would be, “Kandis you can’t do that, my job is to help those that need help no matter if I am at work or not.”

When hunting season rolled around Cody and family could be found camped out on top of Henry Mountain. Cody loved the mountains and on more than one occasion when sitting around the campfire at night he would talk about how peaceful and nice it was to enjoy all the Lord had created. Even if we all came out empty handed we came home feeling refreshed from being out in the mountains and enjoying each other’s fellowship.

Cody was so proud of his men and department. More than once he told me he was glad the Lord had protected his department and that he never had to go to a family’s house and tell them he had lost their husband or father due to a work related accident. So I was not surprised when I learned that my brother had taken the life jacket from one of his men that early morning of May 31st 2013. You see, my brother also stated time and time again that he would never ask his men to do something he would not do his self. So that morning he proved just that by climbing into that boat instead of allowing his deputies to do it. He also proved his love for his county and his compassion for the people of it. I will always believe that heroes are born and not made. I will end on the verse my mother always told Cody when he would get discouraged and think he wasn’t doing enough for the county: Esther 4:14- Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? I believe that my brother was born to serve as Sheriff of Scott County for such a time as May 31st. You are forever missed.