Gretchen Cody

May 13, 1940 - January 28, 2005

Gretchen Cody was a devoted wife, loving mother, doting grandmother, caring friend, dedicated nurse, and above all else, a faithful servant. In the winter of 2002, after only one week of constant bloating and persistent reflux, she suspected gall bladder difficulty, and went in for an ultrasound. The entire family was devastated to receive a diagnosis of stage III ovarian cancer, and thus began her courageous two-year battle that involved several hospital stays and countless rounds of chemotherapy.

Throughout the entire time, her husband of forty-four years, my father Bob, never left her side. He never missed a doctor’s visit or chemotherapy treatment, and he made certain that fresh flowers were always in the house. My two sisters, Debbie and Carolyn, both live up north, but frequently flew down to spend time with Mom and, despite the distance, were constant in their support.

Struggling against the terrible side effects of chemotherapy, Mom continued working full-time as a nurse at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital in the Same Day Surgery Unit. She was an inspiration to all with her determination not to let the cancer change who she was. It was her motto that by being able to work, to spend her time nursing others, that the cancer wasn’t going to get the best of her.

It was during the early stages of her treatment that we first heard about Melanie and the walk. A large group of Mom’s friends showed up to support her that first year, which wasn’t a surprise to the rest of us, but really touched and inspired Mom. For last year’s walk, she was a team leader, with her team raising the most money in the team category. Unfortunately, the morning of the walk she had to be admitted to Duke for yet another hospital stay. But in her typical fashion, she made me promise to stay at the walk and to make sure that her team had everything they needed (and to find out what the final tally was!) before I headed over to join her and my father at Duke.

Mom had a wonderful, wacky sense of humor and could always find a way to make you smile. My sisters and myself couldn’t have asked for a better role model in how to be a mother, wife, and friend.

Mom’s faith never wavered, and she looked upon each and every day as a blessing. It was that strong faith that enabled her to make a most difficult decision; almost two full years after her diagnosis, having fought bravely and valiantly, Mom decided to discontinue treatment, she had had enough. On January 28, 2005, she quietly left us to be with her Lord. While we don’t have her physically here with us, her memory will never leave.

Sharon Cody Richardson