My Farewell to Cody Buck

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I want to talk about the beautiful parts of Cody. Cody was born to Kelly Buck and Ritchie Campbell. He was a beautiful and delightful baby.

His parents took their time deciding on a proper name, so everyone called him Mr. Baby which is still on his birth certificate.

When he was a toddler, his legs were bowed and Mr. Baby walked around town looking much like an ol’ cowboy. People would see him and shout out, “Hey Mr. Baby” when they saw him.

He was Mr. Baby until he named himself. Yep. He was speaking baby speak and woke up one morning saying Da Ko Da. His parents heard it and decided that would be his name, Dakoda. And so it was.

Dakoda could light up a room instantly and never met a stranger. I remember taking him to a rodeo in Cassville one weekend to a place where no one knew Dakoda Buck. I looked over and he was surrounded by several young people his age weaving some tale with their complete attention on Cody. He had that magic.

Dakoda was funny, super intelligent, delightful, great fun to be around, good looking, talented, and very much loved. As a child he flourished in school. He was one of the smartest people I knew. He loved sports and knew all the statistics in all the sports. He must have inherited that from his paternal grandfather, Bud Campbell, “The Voice of the Razorbacks.”

He won Best Sprinter when he was in Jr. High in Eureka Springs. He was very fast. He was a hero to some and loved by all. These are the things I thought about the day I heard that our beautiful Dakoda had passed.

Cody’s Aunt Donna Bennett