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2021 SPECIAL SESSION II
21300063DWHEREAS, the Honorable Gwendalyn F. Cody, a patriotic veteran of World War II, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and longtime real estate professional in Northern Virginia, died on May 2, 2021; and
WHEREAS, born in Richmond, Gwendalyn “Gwen” F. Cody grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where she graduated from Sparrows Point High School; she attended Towson University for one year, then began working as a trade analyst at Hercules Powder Company in Delaware; and
WHEREAS, several of Gwen Cody’s family members enlisted in the United States Armed Forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and she was inspired to make her own contributions to the war effort by joining the Women’s Army Corps in 1943; and
WHEREAS, Gwen Cody’s first assignment involved traveling throughout New Hampshire selling war bonds; she later volunteered for cryptology training and deployed to northern France in 1944 as a member of the 3341st Signal Corps Battalion; and
WHEREAS, Gwen Cody worked in command staff headquarters, maintaining code machines and switching out cogs each day to create new ciphers, and was entrusted with vital, top secret messages; and
WHEREAS, after the announcement of victory in Europe, Gwen Cody and several other members of her unit joined revelers on the streets of Paris, where she met her future husband, Robert; the couple married in Austria the following year and ultimately returned to the Commonwealth to settle in Annandale; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of service to her community, Gwen Cody ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1979, but won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1981; and
WHEREAS, Gwen Cody represented the residents of the 49th District and subsequently represented the residents of the 38th District after redistricting; during her two terms in office, she introduced and supported many pieces of legislation to benefit all Virginians and offered her insights and expertise to several standing committees; and
WHEREAS, Gwen Cody was one of the few Republicans representing a Northern Virginia district at the time, and for many years afterward, she served as an advisor and mentor to other Republican officials throughout the region and the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, outside of her career in state government, Gwen Cody was a licensed real estate agent who worked at several Northern Virginia firms over the course of 30 years and continued to do so into her 80s; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband, Robert, Gwen Cody will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Robert, Jr., and Cathleen, and their families, and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues on both sides of the aisle; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Gwendalyn F. Cody, a former public servant and real estate professional in Annandale; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Honorable Gwendalyn F. Cody as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for her memory.