John F. Cody Jr.

John F. Cody, Jr. - known fondly by many as Sam - passed away Friday, November 15th, at his Upton home. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sally F. Cody. He was the devoted father to Jennifer C. Bartkus and her husband, Timothy, and Sarah Cody Rector, and her husband, Paul. He was the proud grandfather of Hannah, Carly and Laura Bartkus, along with Samuel and Benjamin Rector. He also leaves his loving sister, Carolyn Parrish, of Woburn, his brother William F. Cody of Littleton and his brother, Kevin M. Cody and his partner, Eleanor Hedlund, of Chelmsford. He was the brother of the late Alicia McCarron and Joanne Cody of Woburn. He was born on March 28th, 1933 to the late John F. Cody and Alice (Young). He grew-up in Woburn, Massachusetts and often spoke happily of his young years, surrounded by his musical parents and fun-loving brothers and sisters, along with his friends in the Rag Rock Gang. John graduated from Woburn High School. He then received a Bachelors Degree from Boston College in 1958. Additionally, he graduated from the University of Chicago in 1960 with a Master of Business Administration. He also served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army from 1953-1955. He trained as a paratrooper at Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Bragg in North Carolina. He was very proud to serve our nation. John was employed in the securities business in both brokerage and management for more than fifty years at firms such as First Albany, Janney Montgomery Scott and Tucker Anthony & RL Day. Most recently, he worked as Vice President of Investments at Moors & Cabot in Boston. John positively impacted many careers by mentoring young brokers. He loved walking the streets of his beloved city and enjoying the skyline from a lunch boat in the harbor. In his downtime, John could often be found watching a Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots game. John, and wife Sally, raised their family in Carlisle, Massachusetts. John was well-known around town for his big smile and friendly demeanor. He was always at his daughters plays, games and parades. He served on the towns finance board, the council for elderly housing and was a member of the finance committee at The Orchard House Museum in Concord, a place thats close to his wifes heart. In recent years, John found great joy in spending time with his grandchildren, attending sports games and birthday parties or watching Peanuts specials. Poppy was at the head of every holiday table, telling stories of his youth or entertaining the crowd with his world-famous jokes. John was well-read, enjoying everything from mystery novels to Shakespeare plays to biographies about Abraham Lincoln or Harry Truman. An avid listener of classical music, John also enjoyed musical theater. He recently took his grandsons to a wonderful production of Jersey Boys and delighted in exposing them to the tunes of his time. John, along with Sally, always by his side, faced his illness with bravery and grace. His family will miss the sparkle in his eye, his intelligence, natural charm and warm voice. Family and friends are invited to gather for visiting hours on Friday, November 22nd from 4 to 7 pm in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford Street, Concord, MA. His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 23rd at 10 am in Holy Family Parish, Monument Square, Concord Center with a reception following. Private burial will take place later that day at Green Cemetery in Carlisle, where Officers of the U.S. Army will present military honors. Donations may be made in Johns memory to Woburn Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 202, Woburn, MA 01801, or to the New England chapter of AutismSpeaks at 85 Devonshire Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA, 02109. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in his online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.