Benjamin Virgil Cody

Benjamin “Ben” Virgil Cody III was born on November 20, 1958, in Athens, Texas, and passed away on March 20, 2026, in Wharton, Texas, at the age of sixty-seven. The only child of Dr. Robert Oswald Cody and Thelma Sue Roberts Cody, Ben was raised with deep roots in the Wharton community he would call home throughout his life.

Ben graduated from Wharton High School in 1977 before earning a degree in Computer Science from Tulane University in 1981, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He went on to build a distinguished career at Computer Sciences Corporation and at Bell Laboratories, contributing his talents to programming efforts supporting NASA projects and Johnson Space Center in Houston.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Robert O. Cody and Thelma Sue Roberts Cody. Ben is survived by his aunts, Dr. Sybil Roberts Morgan and Mary Ruth Cody McMorris, along with a large and loving extended family of cousins: Margaret Elaine McMorris Spitzenberger, David Charles McMorris, Joseph Robert McMorris, Dennis Hartman Cody, Dr. Sara Bull, Shelley Wren Roberts Maxwell Penrod, Amanda Lynn Morgan, Rachel Kathryn Roberts Corlew, Leigh Kimberly Roberts Lakes, Kippie Carol Roberts, Dr. Glen Bull, Walter Lee Maxwell Jr., Robert Alan Maxwell, Dr. Robert Douglas Morgan, Kevin Verne Roberts, Barrett Scott Baxter, Richard Alan Baxter, and Dr. John Douglas Baxter.

Ben was, by every measure, a gentle and generous soul. Brilliant by nature and humble by character, he was always ready to lend a hand or offer a smile. He was an avid collector — magazines, books, videotapes, coins, and comic books among his treasures — and a devoted fan of classic films and Elvis Presley. He took pleasure in the simple joys of life: cruising in his black Eldorado Cadillac, savoring James Coney Island hot dogs, and spending time with the people he loved. Ben had a gift for remembering what mattered to others, expressing through thoughtful gifts and warmth that those who knew him will not soon forget.

He will be missed and remembered by his family and by all those were fortunate enough to know him in Wharton, Texas.