Kenneth Henry Cordes

My grandpa passed away on Sunday morning, January 11th, three days before his 93rd birthday.  I will always treasure the time I had with him - not only as a kid spending time on their sailboat and at their condo, but also as an adult when he was always interested in what we were doing. I remember him teaching me about weather, flying, algebra, typing, the Bible... I remember going for regular swims with him down at the Clubhouse (the condo's pool), and then playing pool with him - a game he taught me how to play. Then in the evenings, playing Rumikub with him and Grandma. I remember him teaching me about finances, the stock market, and how to save for retirement. I remember his stories about three little ducks named Quacky, Wacky, and Sacky, which I now tell to my kids. 

When I brought Steve home to meet the family, I quickly realized that he and my grandpa had a lot in common. Not only are they both quiet, gentle, humble, and very intelligent people, but they also shared a lot of common interests. Grandpa took a keen interest in Steve's telescope making, and they both appreciated the engineering and mechanical side of life. Steve had a keen interest in his service in WW2, and Grandpa never tired of telling his war and flying stories.

He lost his sight to macular degeneration over the last ten years, and gradually had to give up his favourite pastimes of reading and playing free cell on the computer. He also lost a lot of his hearing due to all his years as a pilot, and used a set of headphones with a microphone device to hear people better.

After my grandma died in April, we spent a lot of time with Grandpa and recorded a lot of his war and flying stories. I'm so thankful we did that when he was still so healthy and his memory still so sharp. In the last couple of months he started to decline quickly, mostly in his memory and clarity of thought, but eventually in his body too. I went to see him two days before he passed away, spending only a night and part of the next day there before flying back. He was unresponsive, but I am so thankful to be living close enough that I could help care for him in that short time, hold his hand, shout into his good ear, "I love you", and say goodbye.  He gave so much time, love, and attention to me over my life, and it is still so strange to think of my life without him.  But, my grandparents both set a wonderful example for me to follow, and I know I will think of them often.