JULIO CESAR CODIAS's Obituary
Julio Cesar Codias, age 82, of Coral Gables, Florida, passed away on October 8, 2024, after a long illness. He was born on December 1, 1941 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, to Emilio and Maria (née Adán) Codias.
His childhood in Havana, Cuba, was, by all accounts, idyllic. He told many tales of playing in the neighborhood: going to movies constantly, movies from countries all over the world; roller skating through the neighborhoods in a long train of boys- where you didn’t want to be the last in the train (whiplash!); family meals in his father’s restaurant, and close family ties to his mother’s extended family including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
His education was interrupted by the chaos in Cuba of the early 1960s, though he completed high school and then college in Atlanta, GA, and was subsequently admitted to John Marshall Law School. He served 2 years active duty in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne, returning afterward to Atlanta. Supporting himself and paying for his courses working as a waiter and bartender he graduated from John Marshall, passing the Georgia Bar exam in 1973 and opening a solo legal office where he practiced immigration law until 1982. He was married to Elaine Klock Codias on November 29, 1974, and they continued their lives together until the present.
In 1982 he began taking cases in Miami, FL, passing the Florida bar exam in 1985. He shifted the focus of his law practice, becoming a defense attorney trying drug cases in federal court. Throughout 1983, Elaine traveled to Miami every Thursday evening and returned to Atlanta on Sundays, where she still worked for Smith Kline Pharmaceuticals. She joined Julio full time in Miami in 1984.
As a husband and as a friend he was strong, kind, supportive, and unfailingly generous. To any and all requests the answer was always “yes.” Julio also had a fierce determination to care for those in his extended family whose lives had been so disrupted by fleeing communist Cuba. While in Atlanta, he participated in purchasing several liquor stores. His brother Juan ran one, and then another of these; and Julio’s father eventually spent his later years in the first store; an uncle and nephew ran another of the stores.
Julio worked relentlessly and didn’t have much time for hobbies. However, he did enjoy extensive travel in the Caribbean, in Europe, and many trips in the U.S. In Miami, he enjoyed hosting friends and family in gatherings large and small. One focus of his year was the Paella Party he and Elaine gave in the fall for 25 years. His enjoyment of music was always evident and grew over the years to include American Bluegrass music.
He is pre-deceased by his parents and his brothers Juan Codias and Rene Codias, Sr., as well as his brother-in-law Frederick Klock. He is survived by his wife, Elaine Klock Codias, his sisters-in-law Jo Ann Codias and Miriam Codias, his niece Jo Anna Codias, nephews Emilio, Rene Jr., and Leonardo Codias, as well as David Klock, grandnieces Faith Emerald Sky, Victoria Rose and Mia Jewel Codias, and grandnephews Elijah and Thor Maximus Codias.
A visitation will be held on Monday, October 14, 5:00-7:00 at the Van Orsdel Funeral Home 4600 SW 8th St, Coral Gables FL 33134, followed by a service in their chapel at 7:00. His ashes will be entombed at a later date at the Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Cemetery in Miami.
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