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For those of you who remember him, former super modified driver Bob Cody of Amarillo passed away late last week.
Robert "Commander Bob" Cody, 65, of Amarillo died Friday, Jan. 15, 2010.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Oasis Southwest Baptist Church with David Green, chaplain of Hospice of the Southwest, officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery by Cox-LaGrone Funeral Home, 4180 Canyon Drive.
Bob was born Dec. 31, 1944, in Amarillo to Eugene and Dorothy Cody. In his younger years, Bob was an avid football player who played for the Maverick Boys Club under Coach Dykemon. Bob got to play in the championship game at the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl while playing for Coach Dykemon. In high school, Bob played at Palo Duro High School and later in life coached Kids, Inc. for his son's team at Lawndale, where they won championships for a couple of years in a row.
At the age of 16, Bob bought his first race car but he was too young to drive, so he had Vern Mullenix and Putt Putt Roberts drive it for him. When Bob got old enough to drive, he built his first stock car. Bob drove stock cars for about four years then switched to super modifieds, and from the late 1960s to the 1980s, he became one of the best drivers around Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. That's when he became known as "Commander Bob," winning numerous championships.
Bob drove for Jack B. Cooper and retired after 25 years as a teamster. After retirement, he spent as much of his time as he could at his place at Greenbelt Lake, and it became his home away from home. Bob's friends at the lake became his second family. This is when he became known as "Calm, Crazy, Crotchety Buddy." Bob also was known as the "Mayor of the Beach Club," because if he saw anybody down on the beach, he was the first one to jump on his golf cart and let them know it was a private club and they had to leave. Also, he let everybody that had a place around him know to make sure to pull their sand burs.
He was preceded in death by his mom and dad and his best friend, Dick Sheffield.
Survivors include two kids, Bryan Cody and Cinnamon Cody, both of Amarillo; four grandkids, Candace, Brennon, Jacob and Devyn; three sisters, Darlene Sollberger, Wanda Lee and Ginger Johnston, all of Amarillo; a brother, Tommy Jack Cody of Modesto, Calif.; Bob's dog, Teka; and his special friends, Barbara Slattery and Rodney Patton.
The family would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Sharpe, Tonya and staff at Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center and Francis, Susan and staff at Hospice Care of the Southwest.
The family suggests memorials be to Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, 1500 Wallace Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79106; or to Hospice Care of the Southwest, 1301 S. Coulter St., Suite 404, Amarillo, TX 79106.
David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com
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