Geisel Funeral Directors

Louis Geisel Funeral Home Branch Office Russell W. Styer, Supervisor 330 East Pitt St. Bedford, PA15522 (814) 623-5319

Mickle-Geisel Funeral Home Main Office Jack H. Geisel, Jr., F.D., Owner 3779 Pitt St P.O. Box 68 Schellsburg, PA 15559 (814) 733-4211   Serving Families since 1919

Jack H. Geisel Funeral Home Original Office Jack H. Geisel, F.D., Owner 4340 Quaker Valley Rd Alum Bank, PA 15521 (814)839-2317

                                             

                                 OBITUARY                   March 10, 2008

                                          Theodore G. "Ted" Kordell

Theodore George “Ted” Kordell, late of New Paris, Pennsylvania, passed away quietly at the age of 83 at Pennknoll Village Nursing Home, Everett, on Sunday afternoon, 9 March. 

Ted was the second son of Mary Walat Kordell and Frank A Kordell.  He attended Glessner Mills Primary School and Conemaugh Township High School, leaving school at age 16 to help his parents on the family farm in Somerset County.  During World War II he sold beef cattle to the US Army and was assigned to looking after the army’s Clydesdale horses and polo ponies.   After the war he was employed at National Steel in Johnstown.  In the evenings and at weekends, he built and operated his own sawmill and purchased heavy equipment that he contracted out for construction work.  In addition to becoming an expert carpenter, he was certified as an explosives demolition worker, licensed as an electrician, and qualified as a welder and a master tool and die worker.

 In 1950, he was appointed Operations Manager of Emglo Products Corporation, which was then located in Davidsville.  Under his management, Emglo began making air compressors and fans that were sold worldwide, and in 1963 the company was presented with a citation from the International Commerce Organization for its export program.  While at Emglo, Ted offered on the job training and employed graduates of Conemaugh Township High School and was commended by the “Somerset American” for his work in the area of youth training.

 Ted was President of the Somerset County Tableland Community Association, a member of Governor Shaffer’s Labor and Industry Task Force, and President of the Benscreek Primary School PTA.  He was also actively involved with St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Johnstown.

 In 1974 Ted immigrated to Australia with his wife and two children.  He purchased Trewhella Brothers Pty Ltd, a family owned business which had supplied gold mining equipment to the miners in the Victorian gold fields since the mid 19^th century Australian gold rush, and settled in Trentham, Victoria about 70 kms north of Melbourne.  Ted introduced air compressors to Trewhella’s manufacturing lines and imported potato harvesters from Wisconsin for the local Victorian broad-acre farmers.

Ted had a continuing interest in labor and industry and actively campaigned for the rights of small business owners while in Australia.  He also donated much time and money to the preservation of Victoria’s historic industrial equipment, particularly the steam train project based at Daylesford and the gold mine at Sovereign Hill Historical Park in Ballarat.  As always, Ted was a devout Catholic and gave much in support of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Trentham, Victoria.

 In 1989 Ted and his wife left Australia and retired at Mann’s Choice, Pennsylvania, where he returned to cattle farming for some years.  Later, when his wife became ill, he sold the farm and retired to New Paris.  Ted’s loving wife, Florence Mae (Slagle) Kordell, preceded him in June 2003.  He was also predeceased by his parents and his elder brother, Joseph G. Kordell.

 Ted is survived by his daughter, Constance (Kordell) Fiene of Benalla, Victoria AU, his son, Anthony Edward Kordell of Mann’s Choice, PA, by three grandchildren, Antoinette (Kordell) Douglass of Ballarat, Victoria AU, Jennifer (Middleton) Vraca of Murchison, Victoria AU, and Christopher Kordell of Windber, PA, and by three great-grandchildren, Lindyn and Mackenzie Vraca, both of Murchison, Victoria AU and Holly Douglass of Ballarat, Victoria AU.  He is also survived by his younger brother and sister,  Donald Kordell of Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Theresa (Kordell) Komar of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 

A Funeral Mass will be held  at St. John the Baptist Church at  2:00   PM on Wednesday, March 12th,  2008, with Father Allen Zeth, celebrant. 

Committal Services will be held at St. Johns Cemetery,  New Baltimore.

Friends are invited to call Wednesday  from Noon to 1:30  PM at Mickle-Geisel Funeral Home, Schellsburg.