Kenneth Russell Cordell

Cordell, Kenneth Russell, 91, passed away on June 12, 2022, in Houston, Texas. He was born on March 5, 1931, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to William Guy and Irene Helen (Martin) Cordell. He attended Capitol Hill High School and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in accounting/business law in 1955. Ken served in the 45th infantry division in Japan and Korea, and retired from the Oklahoma National Guard in 1954. He began working for Shell Oil Company in Tulsa in 1955, moving to New Orleans, Denver, Los Angeles and finally to Houston, where he retired from the Federal Income Tax Audits department after 32 years. He was an avid tennis player and a lifelong Sooner fan. Ken is survived by his wife, Rose Marie Cordell, of Houston, Texas; sister-in-law Liz Furman, of Toledo, Ohio; brother-in-laws Ray Bantle and wife Marge, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Paul Bantle and wife Annie of Tomales, California; goddaughter Anna Birmingham of Pennsylvania; nieces Barbara Ellen Cordell and Steven Butterfield of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Genny Bantle and Walter Lehle of Daley City, California; nephew Casey Bantle and Kim Casey of Seattle, Washington; Jozi and Jay Hayes; Stacie, Jennifer, and Aimee; and many other loving family members and friends. Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Irene; brother Lloyd Cordell and his wife Connie; sister-in-law, Margaret Lewis and her husband Harry; and brother-in-laws Mark Bantle and Mark Furman. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in memory of Kenneth to the Houston Food Bank.