Obituary of Cathi Calderwood

Cathi Calderwood passed away January 1, 2022 in Iowa City, Iowa, of a short fight with pancreatic cancer. She was 67 years old. Cathi was born November 13, 1954 in Marengo, Iowa, the daughter of Carlos and Evelyn (Dvorak) Viall. Cathi grew up in the Belle Plaine area, graduating from Belle Plaine High in May of 1972. She met Willie the following year, while living in Cedar Rapids and working at Amana Refrigeration. They have been together ever since. She was later employed by Family Physicians of Cedar Rapids for several years, for Simmons Perrine Albright and Elwood for a year, and finally, at the Vinton Shellsburg school district in the elementary school. The school was her favorite work. She really enjoyed being around the kindergarten thru 2nd grade children. She retired from there several years ago. She married Willie in May of 1980, with them moving to Vinton that same year. Also, that same year, Willie graduated from Iowa State, and began work at Cedar Valley, where he still is employed today. In March of 1987 Ryan was born, and life really became interesting. He is the apple of his mother’s eye. Cathi’s family include her beloved husband of over 40 years, Willie; her son, Ryan; her future daughter-in-law, Alexis; a brother Kevin Viall and a sister Carlyn Prichard. Family meant the world to Cathi. She had a large extended family on the Viall side, with 5 nieces (including Kris—thanks for everything) and 4 nephews; 16 great nieces and 15 great nephews and 9 great-great nieces and 9 great-great nephews. She cherished her husband Willie and her son Ryan more than anything. Cathi’s kindness and warmth will be missed; but the lessons that she taught, and her spirit, will continue through all who love her. She loved to travel, with Vegas being one of her favorite destinations to go with her cousin, Marge. She loved the ocean and the beaches that came with them. She was an avid Hawkeye Fan, and also loved college and professional football, and college basketball if the Hawks were involved. Her favorite pastime after retirement, was relaxing at PaPa Juan’s in Cedar Rapids with a diet Pepsi, or most often a margarita. She loved to visit with her friends and any stranger that would listen and respond. All of those friends held a special place in her heart. Sadly, Cathi is preceded in death by her parents, Carlos and Evelyn, as well as all of her aunts and uncles. Cathi will be cremated in accordance with her wishes. A memorial gathering to celebrate her life will be held in the spring or summer. Memorial contributions in honor of her memory may be made to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics Supportive and Palliative Care team (https://uihc.org/supportive-and-palliative-care) . Please continue to keep Cathi’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Thanks to Cathi’s family and friends, the Cedar Valley family, the PaPa Juan’s family, and all the doctors and nurses who supported Cathi and her family during her short but spirited fight.