Cody Shane Pierce, a junior criminology major, lived and died like a leader.
Pierce, 19, drowned in the Animas River near Durango, Colorado, on June 25, said Laura Jean Pierce, Cody’s mother.
“One evening after dinner, a few of them were walking back to their cabins and decided they wanted to jump in the river to cool off. In Cody’s protective manner, he said he would go first, and unfortunately was overtaken by the undercurrent of the water,” she said.
Cody Pierce had a multi-dimensional personality. He was a protective, courageous, generous, kindhearted young man who always put others first, she said.
“He was a 2013 graduate of Cibola High School, a goalie for the high school team and club soccer. He ran the 400 meter in track,” she said. “He was interested in forensics and he was studying criminology at the University of New Mexico; he was on the UNM racquetball team, and during the school year he worked at the UNM Campus Police Department.”
Recently, he had received his hotshot (wilderness firefighter) and CPR Certifications, in addition to earning his personal harness to become a Sky Ranger at Tall Timbers resort, she said.
Rosemary Melendrez, a security supervisor at the UNMPD, said she heard the news about Cody on June 27.
“We are all taking it really hard. He was not just a regular student-employee, he was a unique individual that cared about everyone,” she said. “He had a positive attitude and pride in the work that he did for security.”
Cody Pierce enthusiastically fought negativity and turned it around, she said.
“He used to work happily and with a big smile” she said. “When he first started the work, he came to me and said, ‘I am the guy that will cover any shift. Whenever you need any help, call me any time.’”
In addition to helping his coworkers, Pierce had a good rapport with police and student patrol.
“He took care of the community,” Melendrez said. “On the weekends he worked nights and he did an excellent job. He would have succeeded in whatever he did. We miss him.”
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He will be missed by his mother and father, sister and brother, grandparents, great-grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins, roommates and many, many friends and co-workers, his mother said.
In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund at BBVA Compass Bank to help feed the many volunteer kayakers, rafters, hikers and search-and-rescue members of the Sheriff’s Department in Durango that are still looking for him in the Animas River, Pierce said.
The memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church 10000 Spain Road NE Albuquerque on Friday at 4 p.m. with a reception to follow.
Sayyed Shah is the interim news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
