Lawrence J. Coddens

Feb 11, 1919 - Nov 26, 1999

Lawrence J. Coddens, known to his family as "John" was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1919 to Belgian immigrant parents. He was the youngest of four children.

Growing up he woked at the Coddens Grocery, stocking and delivering goods until the out break of the depression. His father was killed in a hunting accident when Lawrence was only 10. In 1941, Lawrence joined the army Air Corp and for 3 years he flew bombers out of Waco Army Airfield in Waco, Texas. After the war, he held down a variety of jobs before joining the Bendix Corporation. At Bendix, Lawrence worked as an engineer, developing several parts for government aircraft, including a gauge used in the Space Shuttle.

A lifelong heart patient, after his first heart attack at age 49, he was told he wouldn't survive the night. A fighter, he survived 2 more heart attacks, and a quadruple bypass. He died at his home of congestive heart failure at the ripe old age of 80.

Sources: Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com

11/01/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7178744/lawrence-john-coddens