Work Live UP Feature: The Codd Family
Marshall and Christina Codd traveled the world and lived in different cities across the U.S., but when they moved to Marquette, their children finally found home. The Codds wanted to establish family roots after their adventures here and abroad. They say Marquette is the perfect place to settle.
Marshall is originally from Bruce Crossing, MI. As an Army infantryman in the late ’90s, he was stationed as a funeral honor guardsman at Arlington National Cemetery. He was in D.C. during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and one of the first people to help clean up the Pentagon.
After 9/11, he studied to become a Serbo-Croatian linguist at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA, where he met his wife, Christina who had enlisted in the WI National Guard and was studying Korean linguistics.
After deployments to Germany and Korea, the Codds had three children – Odin (16), Marek (13), and Lila (11) – and lived briefly in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado.
“When Marshall got closer to retirement, and we were discussing where to live, we both wanted to return to the Midwest,” said Christina. “He always wanted to be back in the U.P., and being from Wisconsin, I agreed.”
The Codds felt Marquette offered the most opportunity for their children. They missed the water and friendly small towns. After retirement, Marshall attended Northern Michigan University for music under the GI Bill while Christina studied clinical lab science.
“He can practically play anything given to him,” said Christina. “We’ve always had instruments in our house. He’s a musician at heart, and our middle son shares the same passion. Marshall doesn’t have a plan with music but he does enjoy performing.”
Christina works in microbiology at U.P. Health System – Marquette, where she conducted community COVID-19 testing and other lab tests involving microbiology. In addition, she works at her sister-in-law’s horse farm and does horse shows and hauling. The Codds have a small hobby farm with eight goats and 25 chickens and are teaching their children about agriculture and small business, making local goatmilk soap products.
The Codds found a perfect home near the Chocolay River on 20 wooded acres. When they’re not at the beach in the summer, the Codd family enjoys swimming, kayaking, or rafting on the river. In the winter, they pull sleds and ski. Lila loves ice skating.
“Our children have been able to make friends and keep them for a long time,” said Christina. “It’s important they have lifelong friends and don’t have to say goodbye after three years. I’m happy we were able to give our children roots here. Settling down in Marquette allows us to live a full, peaceful life.”
