Sr. Mary James (Marie) Cody, RGS, died peacefully April 15, 2025, at the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Carrollton, Ohio.

Sr. James was born Aug. 15, 1923, in Kearny, New Jersey. She was the eldest of four children of James and Margaret (Thiem) Cody.

Sr. James attended St. Cecilia’s grammar and high schools in Kearny and, upon graduation, worked at Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Newark, N.J., until she entered the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Wheeling, WV, on Dec. 1, 1950. She professed final vows on Aug. 20, 1956. She was a group mother and teacher at the Home of the Good Shepherd in Wheeling and served in leadership in her own community as councilor and local superior. In addition, she served three years as president of the Federation of Our Lady of Charity.

Sr. James later studied pastoral ministry and cared for the elderly sisters in other Good Shepherd convents, as well as at Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Wheeling, WV.

Sr. James will be remembered for her sharp wit and her bright smile, and for a life of deep prayer and service to others. On the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2023, a meditation room at the Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Wheeling was dedicated in her honor. In his homily at the dedication Mass, the celebrant noted that “Sr. James is a woman with a warm, gentle, welcoming, magnanimous heart, a heart full of love that reflects the charism of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.”

In addition to her parents, Sr. James was preceded in death by her sisters, Ceal and her husband, Maury Horn; Kay and Fred Goedtel; and her brother, James Cody.

She is survived by her sister-in-law, Loretta (Cosgrove) Cody; nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews; and also by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.

Friends and family will be received Monday, April 21, at the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Convent Chapel in Carrollton.

Viewing will take place at 9 a.m., followed by a memorial Mass at 10 a.m.

Interment will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling at a later time.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, P.O. Box 340, Carrollton, OH 44615.

Dodds Funeral Home assisted with arrangements.