Carl M. Heppenstall

Carl Munroe Heppenstall, 58, passed away on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at Advent Health in Merriam, Kansas surrounded by his loved ones after a tough battle with lung cancer.

Carl was preceded in death by his father and mother, Ned and Judie Heppenstall, and his brother, David. He was survived by his wife, Brenda, and his children, Nathan and Jessica.

He grew up in Denver, Colorado, graduating from Cherry Creek High School in 1981. He continued his education at the University of Michigan where he earned his Bachelors in Music Composition in 1985 and was a member of Acacia fraternity where he met some of his best lifelong friends.

Carl met his wife of over 30 years, Brenda, in Denver of 1988. They moved to Kansas City together in 1989 and were married in Westminster, Colorado on August 17, 1991.

Carl began his career in anti-money laundering (AML) at American Century Investments in 1992 where he worked for over 16 years. Between 2009 and 2014, he held various AML and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance positions. The last eight years of his life, he was an AML and regulatory compliance consultant at RSM where he traveled weekly prior to the pandemic. Carl was a member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), was a Certified Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Professional (CAFP), and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). He was a brilliant and dedicated worker.

 

Carl had a strong passion for classical music, rock music, dogs, art, Michigan football, Kansas City Chiefs, and Sporting KC. He also loved reading various types of literature, writing his own poems, and meditating. Carl had occasional success in playing tennis, racquetball, and golf.

Carl was a loving husband, fantastic father, awesome son, supportive brother, caring friend, and a patient mentor to many. He will be greatly missed and forever be in our hearts.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Shelter 1 in Shawnee Mission Park, 7900 Renner Road Shawnee, KS 66219. You may RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carl-heppenstalls-celebration-of-life-registration-301967471837

Please note that an RSVP is not required to attend, however it is helpful for the family’s planning purposes.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Karis Community in Denver, Colorado or to A Light for Zimbabwe, the non-profit founded by his aunt Sue Heppenstall.

Condolences

  1. Sue Heppenstall on March 21, 2022 at 11:33 am

    A beautiful tribute to a brave and much loved man
    ??



  2. Lisa Adams on March 21, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    What a fabulous picture and a lovely soul…he will be dearly missed. Thank you for sharing all of this with us.



  3. Susan Gibson on March 21, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    Carl never met a stranger and he had such presence. I truly enjoyed my interactions with him while he was at American Century and stayed in touch with him. He will be missed. My condolences to his family.



  4. Sally Hooper on March 22, 2022 at 11:49 pm

    I was so sorry to learn and am thinking of you all. I have such fond memories of our girls attending Children’s Village and playing together on the weekends. We spent many times at one another’s doorsteps – Carl was always so nice to visit with.
    Please know you’re in my thoughts.
    Sally Hooper
    (Formerly Staab – Laura’s mom)



  5. Sue Kimmey on March 25, 2022 at 5:39 pm

    My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Carl. I am glad that his brilliance and dedication to his work and talents was recognized in this obit. He was a very sweet person to work with–very patient and kind. I will truly miss working with him. God bless him and God bless his loved ones.



  6. Sue Kimmey on March 25, 2022 at 5:39 pm

    My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Carl. I am glad that his brilliance and dedication to his work and talents was recognized in this obit. He was a very sweet person to work with–very patient and kind. I will truly miss working with him. God bless him and his loved ones.



  7. E.J. Barklage on April 2, 2022 at 10:47 am

    There are no words…I met Carl when his brother David passed away in Denver in 2018. Carl was a kind and generous soul and will be remembered by all of us at Karis Community as David’s supportive and awesome brother. We send our love, thoughts and prayers of comfort to Brenda and his beautiful son’s and daughter.



  8. Elizabeth Cooley on April 3, 2022 at 11:41 pm

    Carl was a special person, and the world is a better and safer place because of him and his work. I wish I had known him, but feel privileged to have been in his present at family gatherings. You all have always been a part of our family and loved.
    You are in my heart, thoughts and prayers. Love from your Aunt Liz



  9. Lisa Kriss on April 8, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    I’m so sorry we never met- he was obviously an amazing man. I didn’t know that he was a fellow classical music lover!
    I’m so sorry for this loss to his family and friends! Praying and sending hugs!



  10. Kenny Trimble on May 3, 2022 at 7:42 am

    I had the honor of working with Carl from early 2020 until late 2021 – almost 2 years. I enjoyed every minute of it. He was a very personable man and was extremely knowledgeable in the AML banking world. I was hoping I would get to spend more time working with him in the future. Until we meet again Carl



  11. Lisa Tongier on June 3, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    My memories of Carl at American Century were a ready smile, a hearty laugh, fun discussions about dogs, and that he was a knowledgeable professional and respected colleague. My condolences to the family.



  12. Beth Montgomery on July 26, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    I attended the reunion for the class of 1981 at Cherry Creek High School the other day and learned of Carl’s passing. I am so sorry to hear this. We were friends in orchestra and played the Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano together at a coffee house in high school. He was such a talented musician. It was very sad when he got carpal tunnel and had to stop playing his bass. I am happy to see that he adapted (unsurprisingly) in so many ways and that he had a beautiful family and interesting work. But I am very sorry he passed so young. So smart and so caring.



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