Lue Vina Cody Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Phillipians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Wednesday, August 15, 1928, was a hot summer day in Oak City, North Carolina. However, in the home of Deacon Amos and Arrena (nee Dunn) Spruell, there was a cool summer breeze as LUE VINA SPRUELL entered this world. Her incredible journey began on that day in 1928, and ninety-three years, ten months, and fifteen days later, during the morning of June 15, 2022, God called Vina home to Glory. A Time to Grow Vina was the second eldest of fifteen children born into a close-knit family. North Carolina was a very rural state, highly racially segregated, and ruled by Jim Crow laws during that time. Tenant farming (tobacco, peanuts and corn) was the way of life for the Spruell family. The Great Depression made it extremely hard on Black farmers. As the second eldest girl, Vina pioneered her way through many of those challenges and was her mother’s support system for her siblings. Vina’s parents always wanted more for their children. They instilled education as the key to a better future. Vina received her education through the North Carolina Public School System. In 1948 she graduated from the W.C. Chance High School in Parmele, North Carolina. Years later, Vina would serve as her high school’s alumni president for Maryland alums. Vina was a life-long learner and eventually studied dressmaking at Carver Vocational in Baltimore. She also attended Morgan State College (now University) and Towson State University. The Spruell home was highly spiritual. All of her life, Vina faithfully served the Lord. At the age of eleven, she confessed Christ as her Lord and Savior under the pastorate of the late Reverend Jeff James of Jones Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church. She was a faithful Sunday School student and member of the youth choir. This spiritual and religious foundation became her life’s roadmap. As a part of his vision for his daughter, Vina’s father encouraged her to move north to build a better life. This move was the beginning of a migration strategy of the Spruell siblings. For many Blacks, migrating from the south was essential in search of better socioeconomic conditions and freedom from segregationist Jim Crow laws. A Time to Love In December 1949, Vina arrived at her Uncle Fate Spruell’s home in Baltimore, Maryland. This day was significant not only because of her arrival, but it was the same day she met Emery L. Cody. The young Cody, also known as “Nod,” was a regular visitor of the Spruell household. She was introduced to him through her cousin Sadie and her beau “Gooz”. Initially, Vina was not too impressed. However, Nod was not dissuaded and eventually won her over. On Saturday, August 25, 1951, Emery and Vina were joined in holy matrimony. From this happy union, four children were born, Gilbert, Bonita, Jacqueline, and Emery Jr. Vina and Nod spent thirty-eight blissful years together until his death in 1989. A Time to Live As a young couple, the Cody’s pursued the best for their family. Mr. Cody became one of the first African Americans to work for General Motors. Homeownership became important for them as well. During the 1950s, redlining was the racial segregation practice in the Baltimore area. Despite this racial profiling, the Cody family was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a home in the Wilson Park area of the city. The Kimberleigh Road area was created in 1953 as a part of the effort by African American developer Harry Wilson to create a Black middle-class enclave in Baltimore. Vina was a loving, kind, devoted wife, mother, and good friend and neighbor. As a mother, Vina instilled the same core values, education, religious practices, and principles in her children that she received from her parents. Considered by many as the neighborhood Mom, Vina provided after-school care for some of the children. “My mother was a mainstay of the neighborhood.” “She was about governance and was a community organizer,” says son Gilbert. My mother taught me that everybody deserves an opportunity and that everybody is somebody’s child.” As a Command Sergeant Major, Gilbert applied that philosophical belief throughout his military career. Daughter Jackie fondly remembers her mother walking them to school and learning the importance of life-long relationships. “Mother believed in exposing us beyond our borders. We looked forward to family trips such as going to Atlantic City and staying at the Bala Motel”. Vina’s civic and leadership contributions included: President of the Kimberleigh Road Neighborhood Association, President of the W.C. Chance and East End Alumni High- Maryland Chapter, member of the NECO board, and a lifetime member of the NAACP. She was fully engaged in PTA and ensured that her children attended the best schools with a focus on their future. Her efforts all paid off. All four of her children have multiple advanced college degrees in medicine, law, and business. Emery Jr. shared, “My mother taught me to have pride. She stressed the importance of caring for your family, being a strong man, believing in God, and doing the right thing.” As her family grew, Vina loved her role as grandmother. They called her Nana, and she doted on them. The family home was central for family gatherings. The Spruell family would come together for Easter, Thanksgiving and during the summer. Feeding the family and guests was extremely important to her. “Mom and I had this special unspoken bond in the kitchen,” says daughter Bonita. “Whenever there were guests, it was the expectation to start cooking meals. My mother loved her family.” A Time to Serve Seeking a permanent church home in Baltimore was essential to the Cody family. Vina initially visted Fulton Baptist Church at the invitation of her sister Magdalene Jackson. Vina joined the Fulton Baptist Church in 1961 under the pastorate of the late Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Jackson. Vina remained a faithful, loyal, and dedicated member for sixtyone years. As an active member, Vina embraced the entire Fulton experience. For many decades she was a Sunday school teacher in the Junior Girls department, later the merged Junior Boys and Girls, member and Secretary of the Trustee Board, member of the Missionary Society, and President of the Emergency Club Ministry for many years. She also cochaired Women’s Day for several years. Fulton also provided a platform for the development of lifelong friends such as best friend Pearline Roberson and others such as Mary Jones, Barbara Brown, Rosa Glasper, Barbara Laws, the late Mabel Gee, Irene Alexander, Ethel Fitchett, Rosa Morgan, Geneva France, Lola Gibson, Georgia Stokes, and Bettie Taylor. Fulton was rich with Christian training and education. Vina looked forward to attending Churchwide Institutes, reinforcing her biblical training. Because of her extensive training, Vina could also be counted upon to share her views on proper church protocol. Over the years, she also looked forward to the travel. Known for her style and grace, Vina loved shopping, and the annual Christmas trips to New York City helped fill her shopping palette. Vina and Pearline were traveling roommates for years. They enjoyed trips to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, SC, Tennessee, Montreal, Canada, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, to name a few. A Time to Mourn Lue Vina Spruell Cody leaves to mourn and entrust her legacy and memories filled with love to: her devoted children, CSM (Ret) Gilbert (Deborah) Cody The Villages, FL, Dr. Bonita Cody of Baltimore, MD; Jacqueline Cody Downing of West Chester, PA, and SMSGT (Ret)Emery Cody, Jr. (Melinee’) of Newport News, VA.; grandchildren, Nakescha Cody Wells (Christopher) of Indianapolis, IN, Shana Cody of Oxford, FL, Robert Downing of West Chester, PA, E. Leon Northe of O’Fallon, MO, Jasmine Cody of Hampton, VA, Matthew Cody of Baltimore, MD, Nathaniel Cody of Norfolk, VA, Charyse Cody of St. Louis, MO and Isaiah Cody of St. Louis, MO; great-grandchildren, Contrell Cody, Kristopher Edwards, Jaylin Sanders, Sean Edwards, and Amaia Cody of Brownsburg, IN, Jeremiah Cody of Hampton, VA and Samuel Downing of West Chester, PA; and four great-great-grandchildren, (Maliya, Travis, Alana, and Gemma); nine siblings, Hattie Mae Spruell, Magdalene Jackson (Gamelia), Dorothy Moore, Hazel Williams, Louis Spruell, Mary Spruell, Johnny Spruell, Joyce Collier and Gloria Spruell Boyd; brother-in-law, Dennis Ragland, Sr.; a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, friends and neighbors. She also leaves behind two very devoted friends, Pearline Roberson and Barbara Brown.

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Lue Vina Cody

August 15, 1928 - June 15, 2022