Robert Lee Cordell

Robert Lee “Corky” Cordell, Sr. of Sebring, Florida, passed away on February 28, 2005 in Sebring. A native of Buncombe County, Mr. Cordell was born May 18, 1929, to the late William Henry and Cora Johnson Cordell and was also preceded in death by his sister, Betty Cordell McMahan. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran, serving as a Technical Sergeant during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was employed as a store manager for Ingles in East Asheville and was the former owner of Cordell Wrecker Service in East Asheville. He was a life member of the Masonic Lodge # 11 FAMP in Montgomery, Alabama; volunteered as a shuttle driver for Florida hospital in Sebring, and also for years at the Avon Park Bombing Range in the retiree activities office. He was a former Shriner and a member of the VFW and American Legion. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Frostproof, Florida and served as an usher and group leader in Sunday School Class. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Retha Ashley Cordell of Sebring, FL; two sons, Robert Lee Cordell, Jr. and wife Louise of Leicester and Randall Ashley Cordell and wife Michelle of Chattanooga, TN; a daughter, Cheryl Denise Wilkins of Sebring, FL; three grandchildren, Leigha Denise Cordell of Winston-Salem, Corky Scott Cordell of Asheville, Mahalie Ann Wilkins of Washington, D.C.; a sister, Nancy Cordell Johnson and a brother, William Henry Cordell, Jr. both of Asheville. A graveside service will be held 3:30 P.M. Saturday in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Enka, NC with the Rev. Jim Page officiating. The family will receive friends Saturday from 2:00 - 3:00 P.M. at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road in Arden. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Frostproof, P.O. Box 327, Frostproof, Fl. 33843.