When Carol Lee Cordes moved to Chicago at age 45, she quickly became one of the city’s most outspoken fans, telling anyone who would listen that it was the best city in the world.
Mrs. Cordes, 68, founder of a Chicago real estate appraisal company, died Thursday, Feb. 21, in her home after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
A native of Indianapolis, Mrs. Cordes raised three children and taught high school English for 12 years before moving to Chicago to start a second profession, said her daughter, Elizabeth Lee Gastevich.
Mrs. Cordes first worked as vice president of Pearson Funding, an American Invesco Corp. subsidiary, before she founded an appraisal company, Carol Lee Cordes & Associates, Gastevich said.
In her spare time Mrs. Cordes “made use of every cultural outlet that this city had to offer,” Gastevich said.
Mrs. Cordes toured every neighborhood in the city, attended ethnic festivals and parades, and worked as a volunteer usher at whatever theater needed supporting, Gastevich said.
Having traveled widely in Europe and the United States, she would compare Chicago to London, Milan and New York, insisting that “it was better here,” Gastevich said.
“She was a rabid Chicagoan,” Gastevich said. “She loved the diversity and the ethnic pockets of this city.”
When her enthusiasm bubbled over, her children sometimes told her: “`Mom, calm down. You’re not the ambassador of Chicago,'” Gastevich said.
Mrs. Cordes received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville in 1957 and a master’s from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1972. She taught English at Wirt High School in Gary and at Chesterton High School in Indiana.
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Cordes is survived by two sons, Vladimir Gastevich Jr. and Eric Tanas Gastevich.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago.
