Carl Nothnagel

                                                            Carl L. Nothnagel

    Born March 26, 1939 in Omaha, Nebraska, to Carl H. and Anna Nothnagel, Carl grew up in Kansas City, MO and attended Bishop Hogan High School. There, he met his lifelong sweetheart, Marilyn Haster, and they were married June 18, 1960. They celebrated 62 years of marriage last year and raised three children along the way – Cindy, Mark and Matt.

    Carl was an active and devoted father and grandfather who loved life with his family. He instilled the importance of humor, gentleness, fairness, and the appreciation of good music, amongst other great qualities. He took great pride and enjoyment in watching his children and grandchildren grow into good people who treat others just like he did.

    As a younger man, Carl worked as a butcher at Milgram’s and mastered the art of grilling the perfect steak as he started his family with Marilyn. He loved Kansas City BBQ, with Arthur Bryant’s being the first favorite but that didn’t stop him from loving many of them. Later, his primary occupation was as a manufacturer’s representative, traveling around the Midwest.

   Throughout his life, Carl cultivated his passions into things that were able to give joy to others. First, he used his love of coaching at Christ the King Elementary school to positively impact the lives of hundreds of kids in basketball, baseball and soccer, making many of them City Champions! He also left his mark at the school by working hard on the school carnival, dressing up as Cu-Ku the clown and later as Santa Claus to entertain the kids. His biggest legacy in that area might have been the annual, city-wide Holiday basketball tournament. Schools from all over the city wanted to win that tournament because the best teams played there and also because Carl was a groundbreaking innovator of music, spotlights and entertainment as part of that basketball experience. He thought the NBA noticed!

   After coaching, Carl continued to pursue his love of sports, especially baseball. Carl loved both watching and playing baseball. Following his playing and coaching days, he moved on to umpiring and was at the top of his game for over 25 years. His success in KCMO 3&2, High School, and College umpiring led to his opportunity to “make it to the show!” He was chosen to umpire Game 2 of the 1984 ALCS at Royals Stadium. He was also chosen to umpire several "Old Timer" games at Kauffman Stadium where he met and enjoyed working with many major league baseball players. You may have seen him driving around with his license plate, “Hey Blue,” and he really got a kick out of a former player yelling that phrase to him while waiting at a stoplight. He spent years assigning High School umpires in the Kansas City area, mentored many new umpires, and built many lasting friendships. Carl was honored for his work with youth in the community by being selected for the Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat by the Kansas City Royals.

   Another of Carl’s passions that brought joy to so many people was being a DJ. Carl really enjoyed spinning the discs and being M.C. at many weddings, reunions, dances, and parties. He was a great DJ. You might know some lucky couple that had Carl MC their wedding or a couple that met at one of the many singles dances he kept groovin! He was also a master of “oldies” music trivia and could usually name that tune in three notes or less.

   After retirement, Carl found joy in continuing to serve his community by working as a crossing guard at Belinder Elementary School, where he was thanked for bringing “safety and humor” to the kids.

   Carl and Marilyn were active members of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Kansas City.

And lastly, Carl would want you to know that he was an excellent snow driver.

    Carl is survived by his wife, Marilyn, daughter Cindy (Byron) Law, sons Mark (Julie) Nothnagel and Matt (Mary) Nothnagel, grandchildren Amanda and Meagan Law, Maggie (Kip) Hart, Will Nothnagel and Matthew Nothnagel, and his sister Helen Stephens.

    Visitation will be held 9:30 to 11:00 am Monday, January 16th at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. Mass to follow at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to St. Elizabeth Social Services or Bishop Sullivan Center.