Kermit Christian Stengel Jr.

STENGEL, Kermit Christian, Jr. – Died suddenly September 6, 2011, age 81, of complications after suffering an intra-cranial abscess. A Nashville native, Stengel was born August 6, 1930, to his late parents Sara Sudekum Stengel and Kermit Christian Stengel Sr. He is survived by his wife Patricia Gregg Stengel and sister Nettie Elizabeth Stengel Joy (Maurice) of Lawrence, Kan.; by his three sons Marc Kermit Stengel (Terry) of Nashville, Christian Sudekum Stengel (Charlotte) of Kigali, Rwanda, and Eric Lafond Stengel of Nashville; his step-daughter Karen Pennington of Wilmington, N.C.; his eight grand-daughters Mary, Morgan, Sara, Zoe, Kaia, August, Marie and Anna (Pennington); and his first wife Suzanne Charlotte Lafond of Nashville. Throughout his life, Stengel maintained an intense code of personal privacy that was inversely proportional to a career of sterling professional, personal and philanthropic achievements. He was a graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, Vanderbilt University and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; and after a tour of duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Stengel went on to lead a successful career in commercial real estate development that literally changed the face of his beloved Nashville. A local pioneer in the creation of planned office-park developments, Stengel was also an early proponent of historical preservation, leading to the commercially successful adaptive re-use of many prominent, much-loved structures both downtown and in the suburbs. Best known among these, perhaps, are the sprawling St. Cloud Corner development at 5th & Church and the complex now known as Belle Meade Town Center, which saved the iconic Belle Meade Theater from certain demolition. A lifelong tennis enthusiast, who played for Vanderbilt from 1949-51 and was SEC Champion in 1950, Stengel was a nationally ranked amateur singles player with dozens of regional, state and local titles to his credit; and among his most cherished feats was to claim the over-65 singles title in the Southern Seniors Championship before retiring from tournament tennis for good. In his latter years, once he had determined to reduce the intensity of his on-going business affairs, he compensated by devoting ever more time and energy to philanthropic interests through the charitable organization he had established, the Røros Foundation. A visitation with the family is scheduled for Sunday 2-5 pm at Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home, 201 25th Ave., N. A private graveside service for family members only will follow. The family wishes to thank Drs. Dana S. Thompson and Rex E. Arendall and all of their dedicated associates, along with the relevant staff-members at Centennial Hospital, for the best possible medical care during especially trying circumstances. Memorial gifts may be made to Alive Hospice, Nashville, or to another charity of one’s choice. MARSHALL-DONNELLY-COMBS FUNERAL HOME (615) 327-1111.