Elizabeth Anne Compere Cody

Elizabeth Anne (Betty Anne) Compere Cody, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, loving sister, aunt, counselor, and friend, passed to her eternal home on March 13, 2020 at age 92. Born in Houston to Dr. & Mrs. T.H. Compere (Miriam), she graduated from Lamar High School and Baylor University and audited seminary classes throughout her life. She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Bill Cody, and her brothers, Jack (Marie), and Tom (Evelyn).

As a young wife and mother, she worked as a choir director and professional alto soloist, highlighted by many alto solo performances of Handel’s Messiah in Richmond, VA. Her work alongside her husband at Laity Lodge, Leakey, TX, from 1965-1980, was a time of great service, leading small groups, offering her listening skills to retreatants, singing solos acapella in the Great Hall, the echoes of which still reside in the hearts of many. She was also featured as an alto soloist for the Texas Bach Choir in San Antonio. After earning a Master’s degree in Social Work at age 54 from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, she began a career in counseling and teaching. She presented at professional conferences, taught Stephens Ministry classes, and spoke and led small groups at Faith At Work gatherings. Her private practice in individual and family therapy greatly assisted many clients for decades.

We are reminded daily of the love she gave to family and friends, the contributions she made to her career in counseling, and the programmatic contributions she gave to the work and worship of the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches she attended. How much she gave to all of us! How greatly she was loved and respected! Her devotion to a loving God, her years of prayer, reading, and study of the teachings of Christ, and her deep commitment to serving God, with loving acceptance of all, touched many lives.

Her family and friends remember her as loyal, adventurous, and athletic; a great listener, softly confrontive; steadfast, and patient, full of wisdom and grace. And, she was fun! She loved to travel internationally, swam with dolphins in her 60’s, parasailed at age 80, and set an example of how to live life fully, with gratitude and joy. She loved horseback riding, tennis, sailing, swimming, and being anywhere near the water. Her wisdom, deep inner strength, and humor are cherished, especially by her family who recall many special memories with her such as playing games in her backyard, swimming and fishing in the Frio River, going to Sea World, and having discussions about life and faith whenever they gathered.

She was survived by her children, Kathy (Tom) and David (Marsie); grandchildren, Paul (Whitney), Sarah (Andrew), Marlo (Thomas), and Coleman; great-granddaughters: Samira, Quinn, Cole, Audrey; and great-grandsons: Jackson, Caleb, Matthew, and Ashton; nieces, nephews, and their children.

Memorial Service: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 3:00pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, San Antonio. Memorial gifts may be made to St. Mark’s (stmarks-sa.org) or to Linking Lives (linkinglives.info).