A Great Loss to the Community

Another great life has come to an end.

I first came to know Quinnie Cody when I was a young man.
He was the mayor of the town that I grew up in.
Over the years he did many good things not only for Mount Clemens, but the neighboring communities.
Mayor in our town is not a paid position and doesn't come with a lot of perks. But Quinnie had a passion for politics and a love for his city.

As he aged and stepped out of the public spot light, I, like most, lost track of him. But that's when I met Dawn. Dawn took care of my own father in his last year and simultaneously took care of Mr. Cody. When we lost my dad a year and a half ago, Dawn focused her attention on Mr. Cody. He has been her neighbor and friend most of her life. Dawn has also been working for me driving my funeral coaches for the last year and has been an excellent addition to our company.

When Mr. Cody passed, it was Dawn and I that had the privilege to transport him to the funeral home.
And Dawn and I will chauffeur him to church today and then to his final resting place.
At his visitation yesterday, it seemed that anyone who was anyone in our small town was there and we are looking forward to a packed house at the church today. It has been a great honor to serve this family, as it is all of the families that we work for.


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Former Mount Clemens Mayor Cody oversaw city's comeback

By Chad Selweski

Tue, 23 Dec 2014, 06:40 PM

CODY

The gentlemanly mayor of Mount Clemens, Quinnie Cody, who served until 2005, died at his home Monday evening. He was 93.

Cody presided over the city when it began making a comeback in the late 1980s and again when it established an image as a popular nighttime hotspot in the early 2000s.

"We've always had our ups and downs as a city but most of the years when Quinnie was mayor we were doing pretty well," said incumbent Mayor Barb Dempsey, who served with her predecessor for six years on the Mount Clemens City Commission. "He was kind of the glue that held us together."

Cody served as mayor for 14 years between 1987 and 2005. His reign as mayor of the county seat was not consecutive but he also sometimes ran unopposed. A Mississippi native, Cody's hallmarks were his dapper dress - always in a suit and tie, often wearing a hat - and his easy-going manner.

"Quinnie Cody was a true Southern gentleman who treated everyone with kindness and respect," said Grace Shore, CEO of the Mount Clemens-based Macomb County Chamber of Commerce. "He really loved the city of Mt. Clemens. He was an asset to our community and will be greatly missed."

The mayor's community activities included 59 years as an usher and parish member at St. Peter Catholic Church in downtown Mount Clemens, and a longtime member of The Old Crowd. A World War II veteran, Cody was also a member of the American Legion Post 4. In recent years, his health began failing and he was less visible around town.

Mount Clemens City Commissioner Gary Blash, who first became friends with Cody many years ago while the two served in The Old Crowd, said the mayor deserved his nice-guy image but he also had a temper that sometimes reached its breaking point when someone crossed him.

"The city has lost a true gentleman. He was always very gracious, though he also was quite a character. I enjoyed being around him," said Blash the former city assessor, a post he now holds in Fraser. "But … you knew what line not to cross. He was definitely a man of conviction. When he was committed to an issue he would vehemently defend it."

Dempsey said Cody was fond of remarking, "dag nabbit" at commission meetings when he was unhappy with the way the proceedings were going. But he also had his progressive side, insisting that women play a role in city government.

He convinced Dempsey to get involved, initially by encouraging her to take a spot on the city recreation board.

"Quinnie was instrumental in getting me in politics, first by convincing me to run for the commission. That was 16 year ago. He said (former commissioner) Nancy Dedenbach was not running again and that we need another woman on the commission," said Dempsey, who just began her 10th year as mayor.

"And then, when he decided not to run for re-election, he asked me to run to fill his seat."

Cody is survived by his wife, Jeannette, four children, 20 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Funeral home visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday at Will and Schwarzkoff Funeral Home, 233 Northbound Gratiot, Mount Clemens. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Peter.