Ismael "Bob" Cordero, 81, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather passed away surrounded by family on November 20th, 2016 due to complications of age.
Born February 24th, 1935 in New York City to Bernardino and Carmen Grajales Cordero.
In high school, Bob was in the civil air patrol. He loved planes and aeronautics and competed on the drill team. He wanted to go to college but needed the G.I. bill to pay for it, so he joined the Army. Bob served in the Army for three years as a mechanic but was injured jumping from an Armored Personnel Carrier. He suffered torn cartilages, surgery, and a 10% disability on his knees which were never the same. After an honorable discharge in January 1958, he attended the Academy of Aeronautics and graduated with an Associate's Degree in 1960.
While working as a junior engineer at Hamilton Standard, an aerospace company, he met and fell in love with Helen Mary Pavlak whom he married 13 months later on March 31st, 1961. Bob found that he was earning half the pay of other engineers because he did not have a Bachelors Degree, so he went to Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana. He attained a double bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering and in engineering business.
Upon graduation, he worked for Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage, New York, which was contracted with NASA. Bob worked on the Apollo projects that put a man on the moon. Bob often said, "There is no rounding. If you are off by one degree, you will miss the moon!" He never forgot the words of one of the astronauts stating "Bring me back alive." He was very precise all the time in his work. He was very involved in the Apollo Lunar Modules and the Navy Aircraft Fighters, F-111 and F-14.
While at Grumman, through the efforts of a friend at work, George Meyers, and the missionary, Elder Steve Rapich, Bob and Helen joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on February 29, 1968. Bob was very active in the Church and served as a Counselor in the Bishopric in New York, as well as serving in many other church positions. His greatest missionary work was raising six children in the gospel with his wife. Their four sons each served full-time missions and each child married in the temple. As a convert to the LDS church Bob was also active in family history and temple work for his family and ancestors. Bob and Helen served a part-time mission at the Sandy dry pack cannery from 2001-2002.
There were no LDS temples in the east in those days so Bob and Helen were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple in July 8th 1971. They wanted to raise their kids in a more LDS environment. On one of trips to Utah to visit the temple, the ground should like an earthquake. Our friends explained that it was just Hercules Aerospace testing a rocket. Bob applied for a job while on vacation and in short eventually moved the family to Crescent, Utah in December 1973. He worked for Hercules for 22 years until he retired in April of 1994.
Bob loved learning and reading from books. For a boy from New York, he wanted to try raising animals for self-sufficiency and raised goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, cats and dogs and maintained a large garden. They produced their own milk, eggs and meat. It was a great teaching opportunity for his kids to learn responsibility and hard work.
Bob is survived by his dear wife of 55 years Helen; his six children David (Tina), Deborah (Michael), Jennifer (Dallin), Bradley (Nancy), Craig (Darci), Matthew (Camille), 29 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, and brother Louis (Susan).
Viewings will be held on Friday, November 25th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Crescent 30th Ward building (89 East, 11000 South, Sandy, UT 84070) and on Saturday from 9:30-10:30 AM. Funeral services will be held Saturday November 26th starting at 11:00 AM at the same building.
Helen wishes to thank the family, friends, Crescent 30th Ward and the many hands that helped care for Bob at the V.A. Hospital, Draper Rehabilitation and Care Center, Dr. Dastrup and the E.R. staff at Lone Peak Hospital and especially Dick Cushing.
