Earl Calvin Padgett, Jr.

Cal Padgett, 93, of Kansas City, MO passed away May 21, 2023. A Memorial service will be held Saturday, June 3, service at 10:30, visitation at 10:00, at Country Club Christian Church in the Chapel, NE corner of 61st & Ward Parkway, KCMO 64113. Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be given as a tribute gift to the National WWI Museum and Memorial (Liberty Memorial). Cal was born November 18, 1929, the son of Winona Youmans Padgett and Earl C. Padgett, MD. His education included Border Star Elementary School, Prairie School, Pembroke Country Day School, Shattuck School, Westminster College and Williams College. He graduated from Williams College in 1952 with a degree in History. After college he served in the US Army. In the Fall of 1956, he met June Behrendt Padgett. They were married on February 16, 1957, and recently celebrated 66 years of marriage. Cal was the president of Padgett Instruments, a company providing plasticsurgery instrumentation to plastic and reconstructive surgeons. PadgettInstruments, then called KC Assemblage Co. was initially established by his father, Dr. Earl C. Padgett (a pioneer in plastic surgery in Kansas City) to manufacture and sell the Padgett Dermatome. The dermatome was a skin grafting device developed by Dr. Padgett in the 1940’s. Under Cal’s leadership, the business grew to include many more surgical instruments, in addition to the dermatome, that were sold internationally. Cal was proud to be an honorary member of the International Clinical Society of Plastic Surgery. His company, Padgett Instruments, was sold in 1991 so he could relax and enjoy retirement. An avid reader and historian for much of his life, Cal was primarily interested in Civil War, WWI and WWII military history. He was a charter member of the KC Civil War Round Table of which he later served as president. Cal and June enjoyed traveling extensively for both business and pleasure. He served as a board member for the Joan Davis School, and was involved in the Civil War Round Table, Town and Country Investment Club, Executive Investment Club, University “round table”, and as a Trustee of the Liberty Memorial Association. He devoted much of his time in retirement to Padgett genealogy. Cal was preceded in death by his wife, June, his parents, and his sisters, Patricia and Joyce. He is survived by his two children, daughter, Susie Padgett, and son, Sherman Padgett and wife Mia; and six grandchildren, Noel Williams, Calvin Williams, Anthony Padgett, Sophia Padgett, Sean Sadler, and Ryan Sadler, as well as his nieces Melissa, Anne, Jennifer, Patsy and Betsy and nephew Jim. Services in care of Downing & Lahey West Mortuary, Wichita. KS.