A woman traveling just behind her father’s hearse on the day of his funeral was left sobbing as they passed his former place of work and saw what his co-workers were doing.
Everyone has an idea in their head of how they would like to be remembered after they die. According to a survey of 2,000 adults conducted by Remember a Charity, an organization focused on encouraging charitable giving, 43 percent of respondents said they wanted to be remembered as a good person.
Being kind, caring, loyal and helpful also ranked among the top five most important ways to be remembered in the survey. It’s a testament to how special a person Dr. Foster Clinton Kordisch, Jr. was that he will likely be remembered as all of the above and a lot more besides.
Having studied medicine at McNeese State University and the LSU School of Medicine, completing his residency at the LSU School of Pediatrics at Charity Hospital, he returned to Southwest Louisiana, where he had spent his formative years, and set his mind to helping families.
That started in 1975 when he opened his first solo pediatric practice but was further crystallized in 1980 when his practice merged with the Children’s Clinic to become the Children’s Clinic of Southwest Louisiana.
Over the five decades that followed, Kordisch went above and beyond for his patients.
“He was dedicated to helping those in need,” his daughter, Allison Kordisch Tucker, told Newsweek. “I can recall many times where he saw kids when parents could not afford to pay. They would give him oysters or some other form of appreciation.” He was equally dedicated as a husband and father, with Kordisch Tucker describing him as a man “so full of life.”
“My dad was my everything,” she said. “He would flood our yard when we would have a freeze to make an ice-skating rink for the neighborhood, play the dashboard of a car like a piano for Disney sing-alongs and he never turned his back on his family. I could call him for anything and he was always there. He loved my mom so incredibly much.”
For the past year, Kordisch had bravely battled against complications resulting from knee replacement surgery. He passed away on October 10. The day of his funeral was an incredibly difficult one for his grieving widow Barbara, their four adult children, including Kordisch Tucker, and his grandchildren. But there was one moment of light in the darkness.
“When we left the service we passed one of the offices his clinic has and his nurses and staff were out on the street lined up to show respect for my dad,” Kordisch Tucker said. “It was a small, beautiful moment on such a sad day.”
Kordisch Tucker filmed a brief snippet of what they saw that day: co-workers lined up along the sidewalk, hand in hand, united in their appreciation for her father. It left her overcome with emotion—you can hear Kordisch Tucker sobbing on the video.
“It left an impact on my family,” she said. “My mom broke down when she saw them outside.” Though her overriding emotions were ones of grief and shock that day, in that moment Kordisch Tucker felt something else: pride.
“I always knew my dad was a wonderful man,” she said. “But it was touching to see so many of his coworkers paying a tribute to my dad.” Kordisch Tucker shared the video to remember her father and remind herself of how he will be remembered by others.
“Most will remember his generosity,” she said. “He lived a small little life but took in so many people. He loved to give and help others. I’m so proud to call him my dad.”
She also shared the video and the amazing gesture of his co-workers to send another message. “I have always felt like people need to be kind and there for each other,” she said. “This was one of those moments when people showed up.”
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