Carl John Cordes, III, 72, of Lake Tapawingo, MO, passed away at home March 13, 2021. Services will be held on Thursday, March 18th, at Our Lady of Unity Catholic Parish, Sacred Heart site, 2646 S. 34th Street, Kansas City, KS: Rosary at 10:00 am, visitation at 10:30 am, with special speakers beginning at 11:15 am and the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 am. Interment will be at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Lenexa, KS, immediately after.
Carl was born July 6, 1948, to Marion A. (Kelley) Cordes and Carl J. Cordes, Jr., in Kansas City, MO. He was the eldest of eight children. Carl attended St. Peter’s Catholic School in KCMO, and graduated from the first 8th grade class of Curé of Ars Catholic School, in Leawood, KS, with a scholarship to Rockhurst High School, which he also attended. By the age of 20, he was managing the greenhouse operations for Dalton’s Flowers in Overland Park, KS. He was drafted by the Army in 1969, during the Vietnam War. He served 19 months of active duty, including 14 months in Vietnam in the Army Signal Corps as a telephone lineman, attaining the rank of sergeant. His father had also served in the Army Signal Corps in World War II in the Pacific Theater. When Carl returned home from Vietnam, he pursued additional training in electronics. Carl worked for decades after that as a general contractor, often in partnership with his father and best friend, Carl Jr. In 1998, he moved to Lake Tapawingo with his parents, devoting himself to caring for them in their later years. This included, both before and after his father’s death, years of providing skilled and loving home nursing care to his mother, based on his own extensive self-study. He cared for her until her peaceful death at home in 2012, at the age of 90, a year after his father’s passing.
Carl took his role as the eldest of eight seriously. His brother and sisters knew that he would always be there for them with wise advice and a generous helping hand in any time of need. Likewise, others who encountered Carl in his work, or as a neighbor or friend, also found him to be the same reliable source of support. Carl was a true Renaissance man. His practical skills were wide-ranging, as were his vast intellectual curiosity and knowledge about everything from history to horticulture. As a youth, he excelled at baseball and other athletics. He enjoyed many years as a golfer and sustained a life-long interest in many sports.
Carl was a great storyteller, the family historian and comedian, and the only family member to match the playful sense of humor of his Irish grandfather, to whom he was very close. He was a favorite golf partner of his other grandfather, whose named he carried on. Carl was a wonderful and fun-loving uncle to his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. Being “Uncle Carl” meant a lot to him. He loved entertaining the kids, telling them jokes and funny stories. He really enjoyed his role of uncle and deeply cared for each and every one of them.
Carl was old-fashioned in his ideals, deeply spiritual, and fiercely independent. He never compromised on the high personal standards he set for himself. Carl spoke often about his experiences in Vietnam, which informed his compassionate respect for people of all backgrounds. He was truly one of a kind and will be very greatly missed.
Carl was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Annette Von Lintel. He is survived by his brother, Rev. John Cordes; five sisters: Marion Shea (John), Colleen Cordes (Robert Engelman), Linda Cordes, Susan Farley (Dohn), and Polly Mandl (Richard); his brother-in-law and good friend, Alan Von Lintel; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
