Carl Elliott Kraiss, age 72, from Orlando, Florida, passed away in the presence of his wife and daughters on August 16, 2021. He was a devoted husband, an ever-present father, a caring brother, the coolest uncle, and a fun, entertaining, loyal friend to so many.


Carl, known to most as "CK," was born on May 12, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carl was preceded in death by both of his parents, Clayton Elihu and Violet Candy. He is survived by his loving wife, Kathy, his two daughters, Kelly and Lacy, his brother, Clayton Jr., his nephew, David and his wife, Caira, and his grandniece, Willow. He is also missed by his granddog, Fancy, his grandcats, Phoebe and Lucy, his daughter's partner Mike, his brother's partner Glenda, the Kelley family, the Tucker family, the Werner family, and countless friends.


Carl was a proud alumnus of Neshaminy High School and a very proud "6th Man" on the basketball team of St. Joseph's University, both in Philadelphia, PA. He moved away from Philadelphia in 1980 after marrying Kathy, but he remained a loyal, steadfast fan of the Phillies and Eagles throughout his entire life. He was known to be able to spend hours in his garage and yard, hosing, gardening, fooling with the pool (his family not quite sure exactly what he had been doing), but one of his most prized projects was a green "Eagles" picnic bench that he made and placed in his yard.


Most of CK's favorite vacations involved long car trips where he was able to drive on the open road. For 3 months in 1972, CK and his lifelong friend, Billy, left their small town of Feasterville for a summer on the road, stopping in 38 states and returning home with an unlimited number of stories which would be told for years to come. During his 72 short years, Carl visited every state except for Alaska, and, of course, he had a story for each of them.


CK never met a stranger, and the relationships in his life made him smile the most. While he loved his friends across the country, the thing that made him the most proud were his girls - his wife and two daughters. During the early years of their relationship, CK's friends called his wife "poor Kathy" - because she had to hear his jokes and stories over and over. While neither of his daughters ever made it as a basketball player (in fact, he even accidentally broke 10-year-old Kelly's arm when she ran into him during their basketball practice at home), he was incredibly proud of whatever sport or endeavor they pursued. He proudly wore a "Lacy's dad" shirt for her cheerleading team and never missed a game or competition, he sat through bikini-clad Kelly's fitness competition, he learned everything he could during Lacy's dance recitals, and he brought his whole group of friends to Kelly's rowing regatta in the rain on the Schuykill River. He also loved nothing better than spending time with Kathy, Kelly, Lacy, and the girls' closest friends, whether it was at the house, a restaurant, an event, or a karaoke bar. He became a second or adoptive dad to most of Kelly and Lacy's closest friends. In his last days, he was more concerned about Kathy than he was about himself, constantly making sure that the girls were taking care of her.


A Celebration of Life will be held at the family's home in Orlando on August 22, and the family will scatter his ashes according to his wishes.


In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Orlando Area Rowing Society at https://www.facebook.com/oars1987 . The family would also appreciate memories, messages, or photos on the Tribute Wall.