Carl J. Pfadt

Carl Joseph Pfadt, 38, of Troy, MI, passed away on September 30, 2025, surrounded by family, after a short battle with aggressive metastatic cancer.
Carl was born on June 7th in Grand Rapids, MI, to Ellen (St Jean) and Hans Pfadt. From an early age, he was known for his curiosity, thoughtfulness and interests that were well beyond his years. At the age of six, with his parents and sisters Ellen and Pam, Carl moved to Pittsford, VT. He spent his formative years playing with Legos, creating forts in the basement and building treehouses in the yard.
He graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in 2005 and attended St. Bonaventure University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2010 with a combined Bachelor's and Master of Business Administration. Following graduation, Carl accepted a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, taking great excitement in his new metropolitan lifestyle.
The quintessential "car enthusiast", one of Carl's proudest professional accomplishments was landing an Auditor position at General Motors (GM) in 2013. He enjoyed the many projects and international travel opportunities that came with the job. During his tenure there, he amassed a large collection of GM and automotive souvenirs including shirts, posters, and a prominent "Cadillac" sign that hangs in his home office. He relocated with GM in 2014 to Detroit, MI, and quickly integrated into the community. He joined Christ Church Detroit, serving on the vestry as Treasurer. He also volunteered as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit and joined the Fine Arts Society, participating in a few of their amateur theater productions.
In July of 2015, Carl met the love of his life, Anna (who was also new to Detroit) through a dating app. As they fell in love with their new city, they fell in love with each other. They bonded over both having served as Resident Assistants at their respective colleges as well as an appreciation for cultural events and quirky conversation. One of their early dates was running the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon "together", though Carl finished so much earlier than Anna that he was able to return to his apartment, shower and meet Anna at the finish line with breakfast in hand. Three years later, they married on September 15, 2018 at Christ Church Detroit.
In 2016, he transitioned to The Siegfried Group (TSG), where he was initially hired as a Manager, and soon after promoted to Senior Manager and also served as Professional Resource Director. He was meticulous and dedicated, but also passionate about creating lasting relationships through humor and thoughtful conversation. In a statement from TSG regarding Carl's passing:
"Over his nine years with the Firm, Carl brought unwavering dedication, thoughtful insight, and genuine care to every engagement.His impact was felt across teams and industries, and his legacy lives on through the professionals he mentored and the projects he helped shape. For those fortunate enough to know Carl, he was the person you turned to for a good laugh or a heartfelt conversation. He had a gift for making people feel seen and valued and his advice was always thoughtful and sincere."
In 2019, Carl was diagnosed with a sarcoma in his right leg. He underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and ultimately had the tumor surgically removed, which left him with a permanent foot drop. Despite the challenge of having to relearn how to walk and drive, his zest for life amplified. He returned to work within a year and achieved his goal of completing the 2020 Detroit Free Press Half Marathon, doing laps around Belle Isle, and created a fundraiser to encourage others to participate and raise awareness about sarcomas. Carl and Anna welcomed son Leo in April 2022 and Carl embraced the ultimate challenge of fatherhood.
Beyond being a father, Carl also enjoyed building in his workshop. He built a large record player and speaker holder, picture frames out of leftover wood from a home flooring project. He always sought out "the right tool for the job" and enjoyed showing completed projects to friends at the house. He also loved seeing and learning about cars, especially visiting historical museums or seeing a rare care out "in the wild". He got the most enjoyment, however, out of preparing for and hosting several annual parties, initially for adults and then later for friends with their children. The keystone event for the year was the annual Holiday Gingerbread Party – he and Anna spent hours meticulously mixing, baking and cutting dozens of handmade gingerbread and icing them together to create houses. They hosted many families in an ultimate party to decorate the gingerbread houses and celebrate the holiday season together. Creating and maintaining these traditions and cultivating a community of support was important to Carl, and especially after the birth of Leo.
He was a true connoisseur and appreciated the finer things in life: delighting in an Armani suit for his wedding, savoring a very nice bottle of wine, showing off the Detroit skyline from the rooftop of the Detroit Athletic Club (where he was a very proud member). However, he was always the steadfast financial analyst, creating a home budget and double-checking credit card charges, shopping at discount stores, following estate sales and restaurant buyout ads. He was thoughtful in spending time with others, always quick to send a handwritten note or make a phone call to send well wishes.
Unfortunately, his cancer returned after almost 5 years of remission, and was complicated and aggressive. After three months of hospitalizations and various attempts at treatment and procedures, he entered hospice care and was surrounded by his family and an outpouring of support from his extended family, and close friends from work, church, and the community.
He will be remembered for his thoughtful and generous nature, his wit and dry humor, and his dedication and passion. He was well-rounded and knowledgeable and could carry on a conversation about everything from cars to politics to indie music. He challenged himself and expected the best out of himself and others around him. He considered his time to be his greatest gift and everyone knew that time he spent time with you was his way of showing the ultimate gift of love and respect.
Carl is survived by his loving wife, Anna, and his beloved son, Leo; his parents, Ellen (St Jean) and Hans; brother Hans Peter Pfadt (Jodi); sisters Ellen D'Alessandro (Mike) and Pam Simmons (Dan), extended family and dear friends. He was preceded in death by uncles Len St Jean and Joe Miller.
Visitation will be held from 3-7pm on Friday October 3rd at Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors, 1368 N. Crooks Rd (between 14 and 15 Mile Rd), Clawson, MI. Additional visitation will be at 10:30 am at Christ Church Detroit, 960 E. Jefferson Ave, Detroit MI, with Episcopalian funeral service at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in honor of Carl may be made to Ronald McDonald House – Detroit (https://rmhcdetroit.kindful.com/?campaign=1221907) and St. Bonaventure University (https://www.sbu.edu/support-sbu/make-an-impact-through-giving/giving-options) with "Carl Pfadt" as the honoree.