Arthur "Cody" Jaurigue

Our beloved patriarch, Arthur (Cody) Jaurigue, left this earth on March 26th 2023 after a brief, but difficult, battle with pancreatic cancer. A fighter until the end, he passed away peacefully at the age of 73. He is the definition of strength, which was unwavering and evidenced by his great attitude and commitment to giving his all from the moment he received his diagnosis only six weeks ago. He was continually surrounded by the beautiful love of his family and friends, who were consistently by his side along with prayers from near and far to fully support his courageous efforts.

He was survived by his wife, Andrea Jaurigue, son, Artie (Cher) Jaurigue, daughter, Amanda (Michael) Tyree, grandson, Gordon Tyree; siblings, Helen (Roland) Alvarado, Max (Irene) Jaurigue, Valentino (Karen) Jaurigue, and Ruben (Patricia) Jaurigue; nieces/nephews, Trinidad Claussen, Greg (Janette) Jaurigue, Claudette Jaurigue, Candice (Wade) Jaurigue, Roland (Ofelia) Alvarado, Lana Alvarado, Alcides Alvarado, Sonia (Roberto) Quiroz, Alex Alvarado, Ray Trujillo, Veronica Brown, Danita Jaurigue, David Kee, Diana (Augustine) Galindo, Tony (Elizabeth) Mardirosian, Ann Eder, Andrea (Steve) Travis, Adam (Adriana) Jaurigue, Jeffery (Katie) Anderson, and Norman Brieno; his daughter-in-law’s children, Emma Kessel and Anthony Romeo. Dearest and beloved friend to many, but especially, to Eileen (late Norman O. Brieno), and compadres, Charlie and Maria Colon.

Arthur was born on October 20, 1949, to Hope Jaurigue, in Sterling, CO. At a young age, he and his family moved to Chicago, IL, where they lived on Taylor and Halsted. Arthur was proceeded in death by his mother, Hope Jaurigue, sister Maggie Claussen, brother Gerald (Claudia) Jaurigue, sister Rita Zuniga, nephew, Art Lara, niece, Gina Jaurigue, nephew, Garrick Jaurigue, and nephew, Steve Arvik; father-in-law, Hank Graziano, mother-in-law, Betty Graziano, sister-in-law, Debi Anderson, and brother-in-law, Richard Anderson.

Described as one of the most resourceful and hardest-working people, Arthur began working at the age of eight, selling watermelons to help contribute to the family. His life experiences from a young age helped him become extremely street-smart – he knew how to hustle, and always found ways to provide for himself and his family with his confidence and creativity. He was a natural leader and problem-solver, while also being laid-back, non-judgemental, and optimistic. At a young age, his friends called him “bull-moose” because of his toughness and strength. His mother, Hope, would call him “King” because of the loyalty and admiration people had for him (including herself). His long-time friends and acquaintances called him “Commander Cody” (shortened to Cody), because of the way he can lead and garner respect.

At the age of 17, he was mature enough to see that he didn’t want to follow the direction the others in the neighborhood were going, so he made the decision to join the Army. His good friend, Jimmy Smith, joined along with him on the “buddy plan”, and later became Arthur’s son’s Godfather. While in the Army, he found his love for cooking as a chef, where he was quickly promoted to running the mess hall while also working his way up to Sergeant. Being a great problem-solver and a very quick learner, he became a handy-man after he returned home, and learned how to paint and fix pretty much anything. During that time, he also was proud to earn his “PHD” (Pool Hall Degree). Always working hard to make a good living, he was a bartender at The Four Trays, as well, where and met his lovely wife, Andrea. They purchased a two-flat and began building their family soon after, and Andrea’s mother, Betty, helped Arthur get a job at the Marriott, where he worked for 10+ years as one of their go-to maintenance workers. He would find side jobs and other ways of making money to support his family, sometimes working 80+ hours per week. He still had an affinity for cooking as well, and enjoyed creating feasts for family parties and making his famous soups. With his belief in himself, along with his entrepreneurial spirit, he opened a restaurant in the mid-80’s and named it “Hank’s Diner”, after Andrea’s father. Continuing his desire for being self-employed, Arthur created his own handy-man/remodeling business, “AFT” (Art’s Final Touch). His hard work and passion for his family fueled his drive to provide a good life for them – being a great husband and dad was very important to him – and he succeeded at both, in all aspects. He also loved and highly respected his mother for all of her persistent hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to keep the family together. Arthur loved his extended family immensely, being a mentor to many and always being there when people needed him – he was always someone everyone could count on, and didn’t expect anything in return – that was his character. This included friends as well, and people have always appreciated and respected this about him. His charismatic personality truly made everyone feel comfortable and welcomed in his presence.

He enjoyed movies (especially westerns and action), nice dinners, making food, and most importantly, spending time with family and friends. He was a proud husband and father, and enjoyed raising his family with Andrea – teaching his kids about life, watching them play sports, celebrating them graduating from college, and being by their side as they’ve created their own lives. It was a genuine joy for him to support his family in everything they chose to do, and his did just that – unconditionally supported his wife and kids, along with their spouses (Mike and Cher) and his only grandson (Gordon), which he tremendously adored.

Some of his other favorite things were his dogs, helping people, fixing things, being a sharp dresser, teaching people how to fix things, treating people to dinners and things they may need, and showing love. He was also a great conversationalist, had a playful sense of humor and wit, and he was a fantastic story-teller. He was as captivating as he was loving, and he was a very selfless person, always making sure everyone around him felt loved, appreciated, and supported. His motto of “life is an adventure” is a phrase by which he truly lived. He always found a way to persevere, he always found a way to keep moving forward, without complaining or letting any excuses get in his way, even when faced with his recent diagnosis. He gave everything he had until the very end, and wanted to comfort his loved ones by saying, “Nobody lives forever, death is a part of life. You just need to live the best you can while you’re alive. That’s all you can do.” And that he did.

He has been a pillar of strength to so many, and through his example, we will always strive to live his legacy with dignity, strength, ambition, class, faith, forgiveness, love and his unmatched commitment to family.

A visitation for Arthur "Cody" will be held on Friday, March 31st, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Malec & Sons Funeral Home, (Edward A Tylka, Manager), 6000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60646. A last viewing will be on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, also at Malec and Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60646. A chapel service will be from 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM, also at Malec and Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60646. A graveside service will be held at St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleum, 6800 North Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, Illinois 60714. For info. call 773 774-4100 or visit www.MalecandSonsFH.com.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MalecandSonsFH.com for the Jaurigue family.