Aug. 17, 1936 – July 6, 2015

John “Jack” A. Cord , 78, passed away peacefully at his home on July 6, 2015 with his family.  Jack was born in Washington, DC, and graduated from Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. and George Washington University. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Marcella (Marcy) Cord of Chocowinity, NC; his son Toby Cord and daughter-in-law, Lin Cord of Manassas, VA; his daughter Monica Coleman and son-in-law Chris Coleman of Vienna, VA; his daughter, Jennifer Cord of Arlington, VA; his sister Regina O’Brien of Upper Marboro, MD; his sister Eleanor Coene of Reston, VA; his step-father Frank Litko of Annapolis, MD; and grandchildren, Stephen, Alex, Ethan, and Elsa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arnett Cord and Louise Litko, and his brother, Nick Cord.
Jack served in the Army Reserves and then in the Central Intelligence Agency for 34 years for which he received a Career Intelligence Medal.  During that time his family accompanied him on assignments to Laos and Thailand during the Vietnam War era, and to Egypt, Indonesia, and Singapore. Jack instilled a love of travel and adventure in his children, encouraged them to seek unique experiences, and to excel in all their endeavors.
Jack thoroughly embraced retirement in North Carolina and was active in his community and church. He particularly enjoyed boating, gardening, golfing, bridge, spending time with his family and friends, and was a sports aficionado. Jack’s passion for politics and international relations never waned as he was a voracious reader and researcher. Jack and Marcy also frequently indulged their love of travel, domestically and abroad.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jack’s memory can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256 or a charity of your choice.  A celebration of life will be held on July 10^th at 11:00am at Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, Washington, NC.

You may share a memory with the family and view Mr. Cord’s memorial by visiting www.hillsidefuneralservice.com. Hillside Funeral Service & Cremations, 4500 Hwy 264 E, Washington, NC has been given the honor of being entrusted with serving the Cord family.