Robert Rayburn Corder III

Robert Rayburn Corder III passed away on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Robert was accomplished as an FAA certified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Specialist, able to work on any aircraft, plane or helicopter, both commercial and military. He served in the Navy after college on a US Navy destroyer as a radar technician, and later various defense contractors, repairing helicopters during the Vietnam War and planes in sub-Saharan Africa spraying for the deadly tsetse fly. Robert also worked for Bell Helicopter in Iran, up until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, where he personally met the Shah while working on his personal helicopter and met his second wife, Reyhaneh. Robert later moved into IT, where he built and maintained corporate computer networks for various defense contractors, before retiring.
Robert, who also went by Bob and Ray by those who knew him, was known for his wicked sense of humor, sharp mind, and mechanical aptitude. He was fond of describing his hands as the magic hands, which could fix anything, even broken hearts. It was no boast, and he shared this gift with friends, family, and strangers alike, never turning down a person in need, whether they are stranded in a car that will not run, on the verge of a major plumbing issue that will flood their house, or in need of repairing a fence.
Robert is preceded in death by his parents, Robert Rayburn and Kathryn Corder, Jr.; his sister, Maida and his brother, Richard. He is survived by his wife, Reyhaneh, and his children, Tammy, Bobby, Cherie and Tim; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces, Kathy, Melody, and Jennifer; nephew, Levi; and his younger aunt, Sarah Harrison.
The Graveside Service with Military Honors was at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, October 13, 2023 at Mission Burial Park North, 20900 IH 10 West.