Cal Dauncey

April 29th, 1957 - November 2nd, 2019

Memorial

Mementos

About 20 years ago Cal was on a bike tour with friends and enjoyed it so much he decided he needed a longer break from his high stress job. So he cashed in some stock, paid off his mortgage and started his one-year sabatical. Some 20 years later he was still on that "one-year" sabatical. He seemed to know just about everyone in Kirkland, especially if they road bicycles or hung out at coffee shops - or were female. His sense of humor was legendary. Nobody was immune to his witty insults and his favorite target was himself. He loved living in the Cal-Zone where at least 50% of every day or every bike ride had to be spent visiting with friends or strangers over coffee, wine, flatbread or croissants. He rarely ever used his phone for talking, but was famous for his lengthy text messages. He shared his musings of everything from scathing assessments of the charactors on the Bachelor, to play-by-plays of neighboring diners who he always assumed were on a Match.com-date-gone-wrong. Some of us were lucky enough to hear Cal play piano. And thank goodness we got to hear the piano-playing to make up for those excruciatingly detailed conversations about the bicycles he would build and fix. To him every bike worth touching was a both a mechanical masterpiece and a work of art. Cal was a dedicated son who cared for his ailing mother for many years even after she no longer knew who he was. He would shop for purses and even bras and underwear for her. (The texts he sent about the bra shopping were especially entertaining.) He also entertained her friends with his piano playing. He joked that it was a great gig because you only needed to know 2 songs. By the time you finished one song they all had forgotten the other songs you had played. And they were all just as elated the 10th time he played their favorites as they were the first time he played it. His mother passed earlier this year leaving Cal with no official family. His friends were his surrogate family. And we will always treasure the memories of his zest for life and our time spent with him in the Cal-Zone.

Tributes

Share a favorite memory, send condolences, and honor Cal’s life with a heartfelt message.

Elliott Richmond

So sad to have learned of my buddy Cal passing. Such a warm and generous soul but with a wicked sense of humour. I'll treasure the laughs we shared from over the Atlantic.

Published April 29th, 2022

Barb Brown

18 years ago I met Cal when I first moved to Kirkland from Vancouver. It was great to meet a warm & friendly fellow Canadian as I was getting to know my way around Kirkland. Both of our parents lived in White Rock across the border & as the years passed and they became more & more frail, Cal & I traveled up to White Rock together to visit them. We discussed the many challenges of dealing with aging parents & I was always touched by the way Cal cared for your mum until her passing. When Bella & I walked in Kirkland we often found Cal sitting outside having a coffee or dinner. He would invite us to join him & Bella would always spend the whole time on his lap. Cal loved animals & it was sweet the way he took in a stray, gave it a very original name, ‘Cat' & cared for it. I remember saying ‘Cal, why do you have your garbage cans sitting in front of your house, move them to the side of the house' but he said he couldn't because it was ‘Cats' launching pad to the roof so he could get in the bedroom window to sleep at night. Cal loved his cat. Cal & I talked about everything under the sun, often through his famously longs texts. My two word replies after his extensive, and often rather strongly opinionated discourse on a particular subject. It would drive me crazy until I realized he was just trying to get me riled up so he could enjoy watching the fall out, but it was comforting to know Cal could always be found at the end of a text. One night we met for dinner & I was complaining about something & Cal calmly reminded me of what a beautiful evening it was & how lucky we were to live in such a wonderful part of the world. He reminded me to not take for granted the beauty that surrounds us and how incredibly lucky we are to live here. Cal came & played my piano at my birthday, & Man!...he made that old, beat up piano Rock! That was such a joy for me, to hear him play my piano. It made my heart sing the way he gave life to that old piano. The night before I left for my extended trip, I called Cal & asked if he could help with something as I was leaving the next day & was too exhausted to figure it out on my own. He said sure, I'll be over after dinner.' In no time he had it figured out & then sat at my piano & played a few tunes, it made all the tension of the day melt away. I am so grateful that I was able to hear Cal play that night. I will always cherish the memory of him sitting at my piano & how he made it come alive. Cal & I talked after a recent health challenge, I told him ‘you & I are alone, neither of us have any family here, know that you can call me anytime day or night, if you need help.' He said that was good to know and that he would do the same for me and I knew that he would. On the last night I saw Cal I missed giving him a hug goodbye before he left. I will never miss another opportunity to give a friend a hug, to reach out with a call or text to say ‘hey, how are you doing' and to let them know they are not alone. I will miss my dear friend. I know he would roll your eyes at this, but I have a feeling Cal has found a jazz band to play with & is making another piano Rock! God's speed my friend. Barb

Published November 23rd, 2019

Bill Cooper

Published November 22nd, 2019

Andrea Freiermuth

New Zealand 2004: It was wonderful to be riding the bike with you.

Published March 6th, 2020

Bill Cooper

Uncle Cal we will miss you my freind. I will personally miss the daily text's and your endless abilty to poke fun at anything. Bill, Jana, Thomas and Maddie>

Published November 22nd, 2019