On an early morning in mid-July, with the birds busily chirping in a new day, Lynette Brickell’s smile becomes as long as her stride when she ponders the reason why she wakes before dawn each day and walks the roads near her West Glenwood home.

“One of the things I remember most about Cody is that in a 24-hour day, he was on the go for 18 of them,” she said of her son, as a light mist settled into her eyes. “I try to use him as an example each day of my life.”

Guy and Lynette Brickell lost their boy Cody in a car accident on July 19, 2003, just two months after he had graduated from Glenwood Springs High School. Cody was a multiple-sport athlete for the Demons and had accepted a scholarship to wrestle at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

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Cody Brickell was his parent’s dream, a young man with boundless energy who stood as a role model to his own generation, and those who would follow. He was a friend to many people, and someone who would always lend a helping hand when it was needed.

“He was fun-loving and compassionate toward others,” Lynette recalled. “At night, before going to bed, Cody would always come into my room to see how my day was, and we would talk to make sure everything was going OK.”

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With his father, Guy, and sisters. Cassie and Tiffany, away on a family trip to Minnesota, Cody’s ever-present, caring nature was at the forefront of his thoughts the night he passed away.

“He left the Country Jam concert early that evening,” Lynette said. “Cody told his friends that his mom was at home alone tonight and he wanted to go see her.”

Cody never made it home to have that bedside visit with his mother.

As Lynette Brickell remembered the days of her late son, a young man of 3 years who shares the name of his uncle Cody scampered about the Brickell living room, darting from couch to chair, playing with the television remote, jumping on grandma’s lap — a non-stop bundle of energy who wears a perpetual grin.

Little Cody was born to Tiffany Brickell on April 17, 2010. Lynette is beside herself with joy when she recalls the day her grandson entered the world, and especially when the family learned what his name would be.

“We all cried in the hospital at Valley View. This one was heaven sent,” beamed Lynette as she pointed in Cody’s direction.

A few years back, to honor the memory of their son and his love of sports, the Brickells decided to sponsor a local softball team. Having become regulars at Two Rivers Park on summer evenings to watch their friend Miles Cook play, Guy and Lynette helped form the co-ed team known as Cody’s All-Stars which is made up primarily of present and former teachers from Glenwood Springs, many of whom knew Cody well.

The Brickells are fixtures in the stands, now at Sayre Park on Wednesday nights when the All-Stars, wearing their red and white jerseys, take the field.

Lynette says she still thinks of her son often, especially on those warm evenings at the ballpark while watching the team bearing his name.

“In his short 18 years he touched a lot of people’s lives in a positive way,” stated Lynette. “ We couldn’t have asked for a better son. I wouldn’t have wanted life without him. I know I’ll get to see him again someday.

When you look into Lynette Brickell’s eyes as she speaks, there is no doubt this is true.

Mike Vidakovich is a freelance writer from Glenwood Springs. His column appears on the first Monday of each month.