ELIAS HALE CODDING, JR.
1932-2019
Elias (Skip) Hale Codding, Jr. passed away on Friday, August 2, 2019 at his home of 52 years in Houston, He was 87. He is predeceased by his father Captain Elias Hale Codding, mother Ruth Baldwin Codding and his sister, Anne Hale Tonachel.
Born August 1, 1932, in Sayre, Pennsylvania,
Elias grew up in the family brownstone in the West Village of New York City. He spent summers at the historic family homestead in Towanda, Pennsylvania and his grandmother, Mabel Baldwin’s home in Waverly, New York. All three locales figured prominently in his childhood.
He married his wife Rose Lynn Fennell of Beaumont, Texas on August 31, 1962 after sitting next to her just three months earlier, at a lunch counter at Howard Johnson’s off Route 17 in New York State’s Southern Tier. Their impromptu meeting led to a lifetime together. Their marriage was a true blending of the North and the South, and Elias quickly grew fond of Southern hospitality and cooking. Elias and Rose enjoyed spirited conversations, shared interests and travels together.
Skip – a name bestowed on the young Elias after a family friend watched him navigate a schooner on a local lake and declared him a little skipper – never lost his love of the woods and fields of his boyhood spent in Bradford County, Pennsylvania or the lure of the desert mountains and big sky he discovered as a young adult.
Elias was a 1954 graduate of the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona. His career as an electrical engineer spanned several companies, including Bendix, Dresser Industries, IPS, Petty Ray Geophysical, Mandrel Industries, Geosource, Halliburton and Delta Technology. He held multiple patents for his designs on behalf of sorting machines used for agricultural purposes, particularly for coffee and rice.
Fluent in several languages, Elias traveled to every continent in the world except Australia and Antarctica. He explored countries and their culture with equal appetite. His travels often led to extended stays where he enjoyed becoming familiar with the local community.
When not physically traveling, Elias was most at home with his books, exploring the world through science and language. Elias balanced his scientific interests with his creative expression through painting. In his retirement, he enjoyed a weekly art class at his local community center and the company of fellow artists, particularly Cesar and Leo.
Elias served his country in the U.S. Navy for eight years following college, including four years in the Reserves.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years and 11 months, Rose; and their much-loved children, daughter Cecily Moore Altshuler and husband Howard, daughter Cydney Hale Peters and husband Albert, son Christopher Elias Codding and wife Laura; two grandchildren, Marissa Lauren Altshuler and Elizabeth Rose Peters; nieces, Ruth Baldwin Tonachel and Anne Eliza Tonachel and her husband Robert Warhover; great nieces, Emma Warhover and Maggie and Anna Belokur; great nephew, Miles Warhover; and great-great nephew, Elias Ray Heyer.
Elias cherished his numerous colleagues and friends both around the world and in Houston.
The family extends its gratitude for the compassionate care Elias received in his final days, including at Houston Transitional Care, Senior Helpers, and his loving hospice team at Providence. The family will always remember the grace and ability of his caregivers to share a smile in place of tears.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, August 23, 2019 at Miller Funeral Services, 7723 Beechnut Street, Houston, TX 77074. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Elias to the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC), Bradford County Regional Arts Council (BCRAC), the Nature Conservancy or a charity of your choice.
Condolences may be offered at millerfuneral.com