Obituary of John Miles Kuder

John Miles Kuder, born March 11, 1949, in Kankakee, Illinois lived a beautiful 73 years. He is celebrated by the many friends and family members whose lives he has touched over the years, including his wife Andrea Kabcenell, sons Nathan, Aaron and Ben Kuder and their spouses, sisters Karel Earl & Gayle Massingill and their spouses, grandchildren Daven & Ryelan Kuder, mother-in-law Barbara Grauer, and brothers-in-law Derry and Jim Kabcenell and their spouses. After growing up around the family farm in central Illinois and meeting his first wife, John quickly built a life around his academic pursuits: first earning degrees from Drake University and the University of Arkansas and then his PhD at the University of Michigan and taking on his first teaching role at Fort Hays State University and his first professorship at University of Iowa. Upon meeting and eventually marrying his life love Andrea while teaching at the University of Michigan, he continued on with his career at Temple University, and finally at Cornell University where he taught Health Economics and Administration for over 20 years and was a director of the Sloan Program in Health Administration. His passion for academia was driven by his love of his students and the pride he took in their accomplishments. In addition to teaching, he loved dark coffee, chocolate and all forms of ice cream, reading, hiking, bicycling with his family, world travel, sailing and soccer (particularly his favorite club Tottenham Hotspur). He was well-loved for his big heart and generous nature and his impromptu storytelling and Swedish Chef impressions. The family would like to thank the skilled caregivers who so lovingly gave John’s last months comfort and joy, including those from Classen Home Health, The Jewish Home NBU in Rochester, Hospicare in Ithaca, and especially Melissa Nickerson and her children. At John’s request, a private memorial service will be held. Anyone wishing to make a contribution is encouraged to share his love of trees through the Nature Conservancy’s Plant-A-Billion-Trees fund (Plant a Billion Trees: Help Combat Global Deforestation (https://preserve.nature.org/page/83246/)) or his love of bicycling through Trips for Kids (https://www.tripsforkids.org/donate). Or in John’s memory, simply plant a tree or go for a bike ride with loved ones. Links for the Nature Conservancy and Trips for Kids can be found to the left of the page under John's picture if you wish to make a donation. Please disregard the link for planting a memorial tree.