He was born to parents Paul "Cajun" Cardenas Sr. and Nettie De Coux in Sulphur, LA on December 10,1947. He was a graduate of Sulphur High School. Fredrick enlisted in the military in Houston, TX and camped out in front of the Army recruitment office in order to convince them to let him enter the service, as he was turned away at other locations due to hearing issues. They conceded and allowed him to join where he went on to serve and defend his country fighting in the VietNam War.
After serving his country valiantly, Fredrick returned home at 21, where he began a career in trucking that he continued for 44 years in total. He drove for that many years and never had a wreck the entire time. He retired in 2013 where he and his wife traveled together; they were inseparable.
Fredrick loved to cook, and a few of the family's favorite dishes include: his potato salad and gumbo, "Papa's Spaghetti", air fryer chicken wings, and a plethora of other delicious dishes. He loved his family and was lovingly just known as Papa. Those even outside of the family who knew him also called him by that name. He also had a heart for jazz music including artists like Billy Epstein and Frank Sinatra.
He is greeted in heaven by his parents, and his older sister, Ellen Grafton.
Those left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 13 years, Joan Cardenas; step-daughters, Wendy Jones(Warren) and Elena Orsot(Samuel); grandchildren, Hannah Shafer(Billy), Jada Jones, Sophia Moore, Michael Bertrand Jr.; great-grandchild, Emiberleigh Bertrand; and his sisters, Martha, Karen and Theresa; as well as numerous nieces and nephews as well as a host of friends that loved him very much.
The family would like to invite relatives and friends of Fredrick to Hixson Funeral Home Chapel of Lillies in Lake Charles, LA, on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 9 am.
A rosary will be prayed at 10 am and visitation will resume until the time of procession at 1130 to be at St. Henry Catholic church for mass at noon.
a Mass of Christian Burial will be held following services at Prien Memorial Park in Lake Charles, LA.
