Cody Ray Chandler

Cody Ray Chandler passed away in a tragic auto accident on the morning of Saturday, February 28, 2026. He was born on Cinco de Mayo in 1991 to his parents, Martin and Sandy, and was welcomed by his big brother, Ryan.

From the start, Cody was feisty, fearless, and always moving. It takes a village to raise a child, and in Cody’s case, a village to fish him out of many a lake after he made a break for it wearing nothing but his diapers. You know how fast toddlers are. Cody only needed a second; he never slowed down. Give Cody a second, and he wasn’t where you left him.

This energy continued throughout his childhood, adolescence, and adult life. Whether it was sports, video games, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, snowboarding, snow machining, traveling, sampling every chicken wing around, or shooting out Ohio Gulch– Cody never stopped. He was dedicated to wherever his attention was.

During high school, if he wasn’t playing sports or hanging out with friends, he was stocking (and sometimes taking from!) coolers at Guffy’s Convenience Store in Bellevue or working at Sun Valley Brewery. Cody graduated from Wood River High in 2009 and went off to Montana State University before transferring to Boise State. After leaving school, Cody stayed in Boise doing various jobs like tile and restaurant work. It was there that he met his love, Gabi. In early 2016, Cody returned to Hailey (Gabi soon followed) to partner with his dad and brother in running Guffy’s Gun and Pawn. And with the expertise of each Chandler boy, Guffy’s took off.

Cody and Gabi continued to build a life together in Hailey. In addition to working full time at Guffy’s, many of you in the valley will remember Cody and Gabi as co-workers at The Muleshoe and Cody at Skywest. They could be spotted enjoying the valley as a family with their dogs, Bruno and Fury. And soon, their family grew: Roland Pax was born in March of 2023. There’s nothing like becoming a parent. Cody was a proud father. His happiest moments in these last years were spent with his son, wrestling in the yard, throwing rocks at the river, and toting him around the shop. They were two peas in a pod.

Cody was a true friend; he was there when you needed him, thoughtful, and incredibly generous. Anyone will tell you that he had a way of making you feel seen and always went above and beyond even in small ways. Just ask the restaurants and cafes in town– Cody was a good tipper!

Cody is preceded in death by his mother, Sandra (Palmer); his grandparents, Goldy and Agnes Palmer; Julia Pauline Rowe and Philip Scott Chandler. He is survived by his partner, Gabi Bryant; their son, Roland; his father, Martin (Marlys Ridihalgh); his brother, Ryan; his uncles, aunts, cousins and more friends than this space could list.

Martin liked to tease that Cody didn’t make it very far in life- literally far. After all, he was born at the old Hailey hospital, went to grade school down the road and built his career just a mile from there, right on Main Street. But Cody did go far. He went far into the lives and hearts of his community.

Please join us at a celebration of life for Cody at Heagle Park on Saturday, May 9 at 2pm. All who knew Cody are welcome to attend and share a story.