Cody Vernon Marshall was born on November 28, 1931. He graduated from Tilden Technical High School in 1948, and received a B.S. Degree with major in chemistry from Roosevelt University in 1954. He did biblical studies at Moody Bible Institute and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1974.  On Palm Sunday in 1951, Cody was saved at the age of 19.  He was called to the gospel ministry on July 4, 1952, and was ordained as an elder in C.O.G.I.C in 1955.  Elder Marshall accepted his first pastoral assignment, Zion Mission COGIC, in July 1956. He resigned in July 1957, and became the founding pastor of Freedom Temple COGIC on July 21, 1957 where he served as pastor for 58 years. Elder Marshall served the church as Sunday school superintendent, district general superintendent, jurisdictional secretary, jurisdictional president of the Home and Foreign Mission Department, and as administrative assistant to the Bishop for nine years. In 1989, Elder Marshall was elevated to the bishopric, serving as jurisdictional prelate over the Church of God In Christ, Northern Illinois, until his demise in December 2018, making him the longest serving jurisdictional prelate in Northern IL History. Bishop Marshall also served the national church in the Bishops’chambers first as financial secretary to the Board of Bishops, and later as treasurer to the board.