Help Us Honor Cody's Memory and Support Family

Cody James Kern, 26, unexpectedly passed away from cardiac arrest on September 24, 2024. Cody left behind his mother Merry, sister Makayla, grandmother Susan, and cousins Hayleigh, Kaitlyn, and their children Pacilyn, Sutton, Magnolia, Allora, and Amelia.

When Cody was 16, he lost his best friend Dustin due to a tragic accident, and the following year, his grandfather and uncle.

Cody looked at his Uncle David as a father and was told one day he’d be the “Man of the House.” Unfortunately, this responsibility came sooner than he’d expected. At age 16, he found himself holding the boots left behind from his grandfather and Uncle David, who both passed within months of each other due to kidney failure in 2014. This left the family, and most of all Cody, overwhelmed with grief. I remember watching Cody put those boots on and walking in them to the best of his abilities. Although he wasn’t what most would consider perfect, he sure did everything he could to fill them.

In Cody’s early 20s, he started suffering from severe anxiety. He’d also have episodes of anger that would at times leave the family desperate for answers. Eventually, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, forcing everyone around Cody to watch as he battled this debilitating mental illness.

Cody eventually was unable to maintain a job, which forced my grandmother to pick up work, although retired, just to maintain the household. As the years went on, his episodes became excessively worse, and the family would move out and into their own homes, leaving my grandmother to care for and continue bearing the damage this illness has on those around and their home.

For those that have also witnessed the damage this mental illness has on loved ones, it goes unsaid how much it affects others. It’s a hopeless feeling watching someone you love so much suffer the way we’d watch Cody suffer, with no way to help relieve him of the things he struggled with because of the illness he’d unfortunately fallen victim to.

I’m reaching out on behalf of my family in hopes to raise enough to lay Cody to rest and restore the home my grandmother calls home. Our family has suffered so much loss; all I can ask for is for my grandmother to have a moment of peace, which is one thing Cody wanted more than anyone.

❤️ God Bless