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Heritage Bank CEO Christopher B. Caddell, 53, has died; he started as a teller, loved serving people


Christopher B.”Chris” Caddell, 53, CEO of Heritage Bank, died Wednesday, April 3. He was the son of Heritage Bank founder Arnold E. Caddell, Jr. and Beverly (Wood) Caddell, born on July 30, 1966.

Caddell grew up in Edgewood and graduated from Scott High School in 1984.

Chris Caddell

While at Scott he met the love of his life and best friend, Eleni (Inembolidou) Caddell. They spent the last 36 years side by side. They would have celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in May. Their unwavering devotion to one another through the highs and lows of life was evident until the very end.

Upon graduation from Scott, Caddell went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University in 1988. He played in the Baylor University Golden Wave Band all four years of college.

In 1996 Caddell took the chance to work with and learn from his father, beginning his career at Heritage Bank as a teller. He worked in various departments and roles over the course of the years and was installed as board chairman in 2016 after the retirement of his father.

Caddell aspired to follow in his father’s footsteps, and he worked diligently to maintain a culture of deep care for the employees and customers of Heritage Bank. He was a model of servant leadership to all who had the chance to work with him.

While he had a steadfast passion for and commitment to Heritage Bank, he also saw the tangible needs of so many in the community, which led him to found Lifeline Ministries of Northern Kentucky in 2004. What started as 15 people in his basement packing 50 care baskets for families in the hospital eventually morphed into meeting tangible needs in the community.

Lifeline moved to Erlanger/Elsmere where people could come receive groceries, clothing, and household items free of charge. Its core principles were to love unconditionally and to help people in any way possible without judgment. Lifeline served more than 50,000 families before closing its doors in 2016. For his work with Lifeline he was honored as the 2011 Florence Rotary Citizen of the Year.

What tied together everything Caddell did in life was that he loved serving people. He always put the needs of others above himself.

He also gave his expertise as a board member to Kentucky 4H Foundation Board Member, Tennis for Charity, Inc. and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In his free time, Caddell enjoyed traveling with Eleni and their family, watching sporting events with his children. He loved classic cars. He loved to laugh and make people smile. Of everything Caddell devoted himself to in life his family always came first. He was father to a son and a daughter, Steven Caddell of Burlington (wife Kristen Caddell) and Alexis Caddell of Los Angeles, CA., and two grandchildren, Nora Mae Caddell, 4, and Jackson Christopher Caddell, 2.

Chad Caddell of Burlington was his brother and only sibling. Chad Caddell is married to Tara Caddell. They have two sons Casey Caddell and Cameron Caddell.

Chris had a brother-in law, Vasilis Inembolidis (wife, Julie Cunningham) of Goleta, CA.

Chris had three uncles, Dr. Mark Caddell, DDA (wife, Barb) of Boston, MA, Gregg Wood (wife, Elaine) of Dallas, TX, and Tony Wood (wife, Barb) of Glenn Allen, VA.

Caddell centered his life around honoring Jesus Christ. It was the common thread running through his professional and personal life. He viewed all he had in life as a gift from God and was a faithful steward.

Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the Caddell Family has asked that financial gifts be made to the following organizations that were meaningful to Chris Caddell: OCEAN Programs here, or via check made payable to OCEAN Programs and sent to OCEAN Programs, 1100 Sycamore St, 4th Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202, or the Kentucky 4-H Foundation here.

Condolences can be shared through the Linnemann Funeral Homes “Hugs from Home” program here.

Linnemann Funeral Homes


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