December 29, 1934 – September 22, 2024
Carl H. Kandel
Carl H. Kandel, of Edmonds, Washington, died peacefully on September 22nd at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington. He was 89.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Cynthia Gerard Kandel, and his three children: Mark, of Las Vegas, Nevada; Paul (Sandra Christensen) of Edmonds, Washington; and Juliet (Kelly Kristjanson), also of Edmonds. Grandson Joseph Kandel (Crystal) and great grandchildren Haylee and Hayden Kandel; step grandchildren Aimee Hall, Katie Christensen, and Andy Christensen. Sisters-in-law Betsy Schwinn and Barbara Estevez; and four nieces and nephews.
The only child of Ralph E. and Christine C. (Eickemeyer) Kandel, Carl grew up in the company of a large extended family in Marysville, Ohio. He overcame childhood polio and went on to Ohio Wesleyan University, where he met Cynthia. They were married in 1957. That year, he graduated from Ohio Wesleyan with a BA in Music and, in 1969, he earned a Master of Arts in Music from Kent State University.
From 1961 – 1989, Carl enjoyed a long career as a professor of music at Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio. He was especially passionate about brass music and explored its place in the religious setting with the Mount Union College Brass Choir which he established in his early years at the college. For twenty consecutive years, the Brass Choir was invited to provide music at Eastertime services at the Washington National Cathedral, one of the great honors of his lifetime.
Carl taught French horn and violin, and was himself an accomplished player and singer well into retirement. He led the Mount Union marching band and conducted the concert band. He inspired his students and instilled in them a sense of “S.P.A.D.”, or Sheer Pride And Determination.
Not afraid to take a role on stage, he once recruited his very young daughter to join him in a campus production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
In private life, Carl and Cynthia introduced the family to rustic living at a summer cabin. Avid boatsman and fisherman, he kept several vessels, including a sailboat called Sanity. He taught everyone to swim and tinker with outboards.
With retirement to Florida, Carl found meaning in volunteer work in the state parks, and later as an on-air reader of news for the blind at the University of Florida radio station. He had a rich and soothing radio voice.
Carl was quietly brave. He once physically blocked an intruder from entering the family home, not waiting for the authorities to protect them. In later years, he faced medical issues head-on, realistically, but with determination. Thoughtful, humble, and kind to the end, Carl rarely gave voice to negativity and always assumed the good will of others unless demonstrated otherwise.
A private burial service was held at Floral Hills Cemetery in Lynnwood, WA, on Saturday, September 28th.
Those wishing to contribute a memorial donation are encouraged to send a check to:
Trinity Lutheran School
In Memory of Carl Kandel
220 South Walnut Street
Marysville, Ohio 43040.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.